Disk Pendant (akrafokɔnmu), 1800s. Africa, West Africa, Ghana, Asante goldsmith. Gold; diameter: 11 cm (4 5/16 in.). Shared by different Akan and Akan-related peoples, including the Asante and Baule, gold ornaments indicate status and wealth and are worn at public festivals by titleholders, chiefs, and kings. Most pectoral disks are suspended over the chest by a white, pineapple-fiber cord. They are owned by the akrafo, a young official who purifies the chief’s soul—hence, the name akrafokonmu, meaning “soulwasher’s badges” or “soul disks.”

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Photo credit: © CMA/BOT / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

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