Object Details
- Frafra artist
- Label Text
- Timothy Garrard’s published fieldwork accounts of brass casting and use among the Gurensi (also referred to as Frafra) of northern Ghana gives significant information. He reports that while casting possibly dates to the 18th century among the Frafra, older castings were endangered by the post-1930 brass shortage and the related boom in the scrap metal trade. Smaller bracelets remained popular as status decorations but were more importantly were associated with religious beliefs.
- A brass ornament, often in the form of a bracelet, would be given to a child to house a protective ancestral spirit--as the child grew, the bracelet would be exchanged for a larger one. After the individual died, their ornaments would be placed in a shrine and were referred to as the dead relative. According to Garrard, the Frafra only wore one bracelet on the left wrist. The right hand was used for eating and the metal of a bracelet was thought to “poison” the food.
- Description
- Cast copper alloy c-form bracelet with flaring terminals composed of a braided band decoration with bosses on the closed side and a beaded row at the opening.
- Provenance
- Ambassador Fred Latimer Hadsel and Winifred Nelson Hadsel, 1971-1974 to 2010
- Christine Hadsel, 2010 to 2013
- Content Statement
- As part of our commitment to accessibility and transparency, the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art is placing its collection records online. Please note that some records are incomplete (missing image or content descriptions) and others reflect out-of-date language or systems of thought regarding how to engage with and discuss cultural heritage and the specifics of individual artworks. If you see content requiring immediate action, we will do our best to address it in a timely manner. Please email nmafacuratorial@si.edu if you have any questions.
- Image Requests
- High resolution digital images are not available for some objects. For publication quality photography and permissions, please contact the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives at https://africa.si.edu/research/eliot-elisofon-photographic-archives/
- Credit Line
- Gift of Ambassador and Mrs. Fred L. Hadsel
- Mid-20th century
- Object number
- 2013-2-6
- Restrictions & Rights
- Usage conditions apply
- Type
- Jewelry
- Medium
- Copper alloy
- Dimensions
- H x W x D: 8 x 7 x 10 cm (3 1/8 x 2 3/4 x 3 15/16 in.)
- Geography
- Ghana
- Burkina Faso
- See more items in
- National Museum of African Art Collection
- National Museum of African Art
- Topic
- Status
- Adornment
- male
- Record ID
- nmafa_2013-2-6
- GUID (Link to Original Record)
- http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ys7d83b6a49-c89e-4026-89c5-071fc47819ee
