Baoulé and Akan Gold Jewellery: The Role of Gold in Ritual and Identity

In central and eastern Côte d'Ivoire (in West Africa, French-speaking, the world's largest cocoa producer), as in neighbouring Ghana, gold has long played a special role in the Akan cultural sphere. For peoples such as the Baoulé, the value of a piece of gold jewellery lies not only in its weight and purity but in which family it belongs to and on what occasions it is brought out. Once you understand this, you will look at gold jewellery in a completely different way.

Gold and identity: from rulers to families

The Brooklyn Museum notes that in Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire, rulers wore large amounts of gold to display their status, and gold ornaments were sometimes also mounted on umbrellas or swords. The Princeton University Art Museum adds that for the Akan, gold also carries spiritual meaning, linked to kra (the life force) and to the sun.

In Baoulé society, gold plays a role closer to the family. The Metropolitan Museum of Art (The Met) explains in its collection notes that such gold ornaments are regarded as the "sacred heritage" of the matrilineal family, kept as a tribute to the ancestors; on special occasions they may be worn around the neck, or displayed outside the house during rituals or festivals for the community to admire together. The Cleveland Museum of Art goes further, noting that gold objects are the only category of Baoulé art associated with ancestral spirits.

When gold is brought out

According to the Cleveland Museum of Art, gold ornaments are usually kept in jars or chests and brought out only on important occasions — for example, displayed around the deceased at funerals. At the ritual marking the end of mourning, widows also hang gold ornaments around their necks or tie them in their hair. Notes on another object at the Smithsonian's National Museum of African Art likewise mention that Baoulé families store gold objects and gold-leafed items and display them at funerals.

Lost-wax casting: how the jewellery is made

The Brooklyn Museum describes the lost-wax casting commonly used for these pieces: a model is first made in wax and covered in clay to form a mould; the mould is heated so the wax runs out, then molten gold is poured into the cavity, and once cooled it takes the exact shape of the wax model. The same technique was also used to cast Akan brass goldweights.

As for form, a Baoulé (or Lagoon peoples) gold coiled-snake pendant in The Met's collection outlines the snake's body with a continuous line of small dots; the museum notes that the coiled snake is regarded as a symbol of women and fertility. Many motifs are also linked to proverbs.

Things to keep in mind when admiring or buying

• Museums are the best textbook: most of the objects above have online catalogue entries, so you can study details, dimensions and dates first and train your eye.
• Distinguish heirlooms from new work: family gold generally does not circulate on the open market locally; new pieces or gold-plated crafts sold in markets can simply be enjoyed as craftwork.
• Precious metals have their own rules: if you buy real gold jewellery and plan to take it out of the country, check declaration and export requirements with customs and other official bodies.

One line for Asian readers

In Baoulé culture, gold jewellery is "memory held in trust" rather than "wealth on display"; once you grasp this, a small gold pendant in a museum or gallery will tell you it carries an entire family.

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References: The Met — Snake Pendant (Baule or Lagoon peoples); Cleveland Museum of Art — Pendant: Face in Crescent; Brooklyn Museum — Pendant Mask (Baule); Smithsonian NMAfA — Baule gold-leaf display object; Princeton University Art Museum — Gold-weight (abrammuo)