This is another cousin to the Ashanti atompan, the same type as the other Fanti atompan on this page. This one measures 33 1/2" tall and is also covered with tribal symbols. Like the Ashanti atompan on this page this drum is genuine, old and exceptional. Please click on the image to see 2 more views of this beautiful drum.
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This extraordinarily large cloth was worn exclusively by men of very high status on only the most formal occasions. This cloth was probably not owned and worn by one man alone. Often they are owned by cloth making shops and rented out, much like a tuxedo. The dark background cloth is rather heavy, formerly having been made of black broadloom boiled English Melton cloth - the cloth use for English Bobby capes, very heavy and very hot and pieced in the middle. The iconography is typical of Fante tribal cultural art.
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This extraordinarily large cloth was worn exclusively by men of very high status on only the most formal occasions. This cloth was probably not owned and worn by one man alone. Often they are owned by cloth making shops and rented out, much like a tuxedo. The dark background cloth is rather heavy, formerly having been made of black broadloom boiled English Melton cloth - the cloth use for English Bobby capes, very heavy and very hot and pieced in the middle. The iconography is typical of Fante tribal cultural art.
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7 1/2" long (19 cm). Please click on the image to see 2 more views of this authentic old fetish figure.
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This is an extraordinary object. It is old and worn, having been in the possession of the Fanti king for a long time. The symbols all represent proverbs which refer to qualities the king should possess to be the best ruler possible. The fish is a mudfish which symbolizes both power and submission to power. When the mudfish gets fat it becomes food for the crocodile, which is the symbol of the power of the king. But, as with most proverbial lessons, it also reinforces the importance of the relationship of the people to the king, the dependence the king has on his people. The dichotomy of the role of the king is also symbolized by the crocodile in that the crocodile lives in the water but must breathe the air. That is, it lives in two worlds. The king must be able to negotiate both the world of the people and the world of the ruling elite. The small tree with a nest with 3 eggs in it is "nyame dua" the tree of God. The image represents an offering to God and means that the ruler should fear nothing but God. The snail represents patience and the virtue of work; it takes effort to remove the snail from the shell to eat it but it is nourishing and worth that effort. The turtle represents independence in that it carries its house with it wherever it goes. The coiled snake with a hornbill in its mouth represents perseverence and patience. The story behind it is that the hornbill borrowed money from snake but refused to pay it back saying that its ability to fly would keep it out of reach of the snake. Then years later faced with a drought and shrinking water holes, the hornbill was finally forced to come down for a drink and the snake got him.
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19 x 10 x 12 3/4" tall This genuine, old stool represents peacefulness. This stool and stools of this type are made for the ruling class. The ruler who sits on this stool does so as a declaration of his intention to resolve the issue or issues at hand peacefully, through negotiation rather than by force or coercion.
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This is a close cousin to the Ashanti atompan. This one measures 34 1/2" tall and is covered with tribal symbols. Like the Ashanti atompan on this page this drum is genuine, old and exceptional. Please click on the image to see two closeups of this fabulous object. The drum bears the inscription, carved into it, "Kwekuewuah A Ghnaa".
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