#Asante Akrafokonmu Gold

[panafrocore]

Asante Akrafokonmu Gold ‘Soul’ Badge: Symbol of Vitality and Protection

The Asante Akrafokonmu Gold ‘Soul’ Badge holds deep cultural and symbolic significance within Akan tradition. More than just a piece of jewelry, this emblem carries the weight of history and spiritual beliefs, representing vitality and protection in the Asante kingdom. In the intricate web of Akan thought, gold is revered as a terrestrial reflection of the sun and the corporeal embodiment of…

[cma-african-art]

Soul Disk Pendant, 1800s, Cleveland Museum of Art: African Art

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 okra, a young official who purifies the chief’s soul--hence, the name akrafokonmu, meaning "soul-washer’s badges" or "soul disks." Size: Overall: 7 x 7.6 x 1.6 cm (2 3/4 x 3 x 5/8 in.) Medium: cast gold, hammered

https://clevelandart.org/art/1944.290

[aic-african]

Pectoral Disk (Akrafokonmu or Awisiado), Asante, 1925, Art Institute of Chicago: Arts of Africa

Gold ornaments indicate status and wealth among the Asante and other Akan-speaking peoples in coastal and central Ghana. They are worn ostentatiously at public festivals by titleholders, chiefs, and kings. The production of such ornaments declined in 1896, when British colonialists exiled the Asante king Prempeh I, but revived when he returned to Ghana in 1924. The size and artistry of this pectoral disk suggest that it was made after Prempeh I’s restoration to the throne. Irving Dobkin and David Soltker estates; Jane Brill Memorial Fund; Mr. and Mrs. David B. Ross Endowment Size: 19.7 × 19.7 × 2.5 cm (7 3/4 × 7 3/4 × 1 in.) Medium: Gold and red ochre

https://www.artic.edu/artworks/152012/

[cma-african-art]

Jewelry, 1800s, Cleveland Museum of Art: African Art

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 okra, a young official who purifies the chief’s soul--hence, the name akrafokonmu, meaning "soul-washer’s badges" or "soul disks." Medium: cast gold, hammered

https://clevelandart.org/art/1935.309

[cma-african-art]

Jewelry, 1800s, Cleveland Museum of Art: African Art

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 okra, a young official who purifies the chief’s soul--hence, the name akrafokonmu, meaning "soul-washer’s badges" or "soul disks." Medium: cast gold, hammered

https://clevelandart.org/art/1935.309

[cma-african-art]

Jewelry, 1800s, Cleveland Museum of Art: African Art

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 okra, a young official who purifies the chief’s soul--hence, the name akrafokonmu, meaning "soul-washer’s badges" or "soul disks." Size: Diameter: 9.8 cm (3 7/8 in.); Overall: 1.3 cm (1/2 in.) Medium: cast gold, hammered

https://clevelandart.org/art/1935.310

[cma-african-art]

Jewelry, 1800s, Cleveland Museum of Art: African Art

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 okra, a young official who purifies the chief’s soul--hence, the name akrafokonmu, meaning "soul-washer’s badges" or "soul disks." Size: Overall: 4.3 cm (1 11/16 in.) Medium: cast gold, hammered

https://clevelandart.org/art/1935.311

[cma-african-art]

Jewelry, 1800s, Cleveland Museum of Art: African Art

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 okra, a young official who purifies the chief’s soul--hence, the name akrafokonmu, meaning "soul-washer’s badges" or "soul disks." Size: Diameter: 9.8 cm (3 7/8 in.); Overall: 1.3 cm (1/2 in.) Medium: cast gold, hammered

https://clevelandart.org/art/1935.310

[cma-african-art]

Soul Disk Pendant, 1800s, Cleveland Museum of Art: African Art

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 okra, a young official who purifies the chief’s soul--hence, the name akrafokonmu, meaning "soul-washer’s badges" or "soul disks." Size: Overall: 7 x 7.6 x 1.6 cm (2 3/4 x 3 x 5/8 in.) Medium: cast gold, hammered

https://clevelandart.org/art/1944.290

[cma-african-art]

Soul Disk Pendant, 1800s, Cleveland Museum of Art: African Art

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 okra, a young official who purifies the chief’s soul--hence, the name akrafokonmu, meaning "soul-washer’s badges" or "soul disks." Size: Diameter: 11 cm (4 5/16 in.) Medium: cast gold, hammered

https://clevelandart.org/art/1952.84

[cma-african-art]

Jewelry, 1800s, Cleveland Museum of Art: African Art

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 okra, a young official who purifies the chief’s soul--hence, the name akrafokonmu, meaning "soul-washer’s badges" or "soul disks." Size: Overall: 6.9 cm (2 11/16 in.) Medium: cast gold, hammered

https://clevelandart.org/art/1935.308

[cma-african-art]

Jewelry, 1800s, Cleveland Museum of Art: African Art

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 okra, a young official who purifies the chief’s soul--hence, the name akrafokonmu, meaning "soul-washer’s badges" or "soul disks." Size: Overall: 4.3 cm (1 11/16 in.) Medium: cast gold, hammered

https://clevelandart.org/art/1935.311

[cma-african-art]

Soul Disk Pendant, 1800s, Cleveland Museum of Art: African Art

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 okra, a young official who purifies the chief’s soul--hence, the name akrafokonmu, meaning "soul-washer’s badges" or "soul disks." Size: Overall: 7 x 7.6 x 1.6 cm (2 3/4 x 3 x 5/8 in.) Medium: cast gold, hammered

https://clevelandart.org/art/1944.290

[cma-african-art]

Jewelry, 1800s, Cleveland Museum of Art: African Art

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 okra, a young official who purifies the chief’s soul--hence, the name akrafokonmu, meaning "soul-washer’s badges" or "soul disks." Size: Overall: 8.7 cm (3 7/16 in.) Medium: cast gold, hammered

https://clevelandart.org/art/1935.312

[cma-african-art]

Jewelry, 1800s, Cleveland Museum of Art: African Art

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 okra, a young official who purifies the chief’s soul--hence, the name akrafokonmu, meaning "soul-washer’s badges" or "soul disks." Size: Overall: 8.7 cm (3 7/16 in.) Medium: cast gold, hammered

https://clevelandart.org/art/1935.312

[cma-african-art]

Jewelry, 1800s, Cleveland Museum of Art: African Art

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 okra, a young official who purifies the chief’s soul--hence, the name akrafokonmu, meaning "soul-washer’s badges" or "soul disks." Size: Overall: 4.3 cm (1 11/16 in.) Medium: cast gold, hammered

https://clevelandart.org/art/1935.311