黄金重量 - 美国大都会艺术博物馆展品查阅

品名（中）	黄金重量
品名（英）	Gold Weight
入馆年号	1994年，1994.312.17
策展部门	迈克尔·洛克菲勒之翼（The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing）
创作者
创作年份	公元 1700 - 公元 1897
创作地区	加纳（Ghana）
分类	金属工具（Metal-Implements）
尺寸	高 1 3/8 x 宽 1/2 英寸 (3.5 x 1.3厘米)
介绍（中）	几个世纪以来，西非、苏丹和撒哈拉沙漠以外的人们用在今加纳阿坎王国控制的矿山中获得的金粉制造了珍贵的物品。对于阿寒人来说，黄金不仅通过贸易带来了惊人的繁荣，而且还被认为是太阳的尘世对应物和克拉或生命力的物质化身。为了更好地控制和规范黄金贸易，阿寒商人和统治者开发了称为abrammuo（sing.mrammuo）的黄铜砝码，设定了标准的计量单位。虽然最早的砝码是以几何形式铸造的，反映了黄金贸易与北非伊斯兰教的密切联系，但后来的例子展示了受阿坎谚语丰富启发的比喻意象。阿寒社会的谚语传达了公认的真理和实用的建议，许多启发黄金重量的谚语至今仍在使用。例如，大象的重量指的是谚语wodi esono akyiri a hasuo nnka wo："跟随大象轨迹的人永远不会被灌木丛上的露水弄湿。这表明，找到自己最安全的地方是在酋长的保护影响背后。一只为身体打结的鸟与表达anomaa有关：yemmo no po："我们不会把它打结。在这里，鸟与一个智者联系在一起，他不会被愚弄或混淆——形象地"打结"。第三个金砝码是铸造的黄铜鸟脚，让人想起akoko nan tia ba na enkum ba这句话："鸡的脚踩在鸡身上，但不会杀死它。这是指酋长或父母等个人的责任，他们必须以不同程度的严厉维护自己的权威，以维护和平与秩序。黄铜铸造者通过使用实际的鸟腿而不是蜡模型来创建模具，从而创建了这种非常逼真的微型表示。
介绍（英）	For centuries, peoples throughout West Africa, the Sudan, and beyond the Sahara Desert have created precious objects from gold dust obtained in mines controlled by the Akan kingdoms of present-day Ghana. For the Akan peoples, gold not only brought fabulous prosperity through trade but was also considered the earthly counterpart to the sun and the material embodiment of kra, or life force. To better control and regulate the trade in gold, Akan merchants and rulers developed brass weights called abrammuo (sing. mrammuo) that set standard units of measure. While the earliest weights were cast in geometric forms that reflected the gold trade's intimate links to North African Islam, later examples displayed figurative imagery inspired by the great wealth of Akan proverbs. Proverbs in Akan society communicate accepted truths and practical advice, and many of those that inspired gold weights are still in use today. For example, the elephant weight refers to the saying wodi esono akyiri a hasuo nnka wo: "one who follows the track of the elephant never gets wet from the dew on the bushes." This suggests that the safest place to find oneself is behind the protective influence of a chief. A bird with a knot for a body is linked to the expression anomaa: yemmo no po: "we do not tie it in a knot." Here, the bird is associated with a wise man, who cannot be fooled or confused—figuratively "tied in knots." The third gold weight is a cast brass bird foot, calling to mind the phrase akoko nan tia ba na enkum ba: "the fowl's foot steps on the chicken but does not kill it." This refers to the responsibilities of individuals such as chiefs or parents who must assert their authority with varying degrees of severity to maintain peace and order. Brass casters created this extraordinarily realistic miniature representation by using an actual bird's leg, rather than a wax model, to create the mold.