Title: Standing Female Figure Fante
Type of Object: Female Figure
Ethnic Group: Fante
Country of Origin: Ghana
Materials: Wood, Beads, Pigment
Approximate Age: 20th Century
Dimensions: 13 Inches
Overall Condition: Good with slight wear
Damage, Repair: None

Additional Information:

When Europeans first came to the area known as the Gold Coast (present-day Ghana) in the late 1400’s they met the people known as the Fante who are members of a larger culture and language group known as the Akan that includes among others the well-known Asante. This beautifully carved standing female figure was probably part of a grouping of figures in village shrine that served as a point of contact between women who wanted children and the spirits. To emphasize this point her very expressive hands support her distended abdomen with extended navel possibly indicating a pregnant woman. Her prominent coiffure is an example of non-verbal communication as the elaborate hairstyle with the multiple braids reaching to the front and back of her head can be seen today among the Fante as women who have recently had a baby would wear her hair styled similar to this indicating to the people of the village that she was a proud new mother and a mature woman. During other public appearances women of a shared family bloodline or social club would wear large wigs with elaborate vertical elements coming to a peak. As another non-verbal symbol the elaborate hairstyle can be an indicator that the figure was of royal lineage or in fact a local queen mother or lineage head. This reflects the fact that the Fante and other Akan peoples were in the main a matrilineal society and the prominence of the elaborate coiffure, the beads around her neck and waist and the elaborate scarification on her abdomen, back, arms and over the eyes indicates her status and rank. Whatever her role in Fante society she is a beautifully sculpted figure showing slight wear indicating age and long use.

References;

Mato, D. ‘Aspects: Akan Cultures in Ghana’. 2001.

Cole, H.M. & Ross, D. H. ‘The Arts of Ghana’. 1978.

All content, including pictures, Copyright Africa Direct Inc., 2006