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Despite the fact that little is known about the specific origins of the Akan female sculpture to outsiders of the culture in which it is produced, one can make assumptions regarding cultural significance in reading the visual language of the piece. Clues that lie in knowledge of a culture and a visual analysis lead to a possible solution in finding the meaning of this piece. Since this sculpture is similar to those found in shrines across Ghana, one might assume that is was placed in such a shrine, and used to empower the spirit to which the shrine is dedicated. The female form in this sculpture characterizes feminine beauty and is a symbol of feminine power in Ghanaian society. The beadwork worn around the waist are similar to those worn in of “coming of age” ceremonies for young girls in a variety of cultures across Africa, so one might assume that the figure is representative of a woman who has completed her ceremony, and is at the peak of her feminine beauty. Since scarification is used as a method of aesthetic mark-making on the body in a variety of cultures including Baule and Ga’anda, one could conjecture that the significance is similar in Ghana. The act of scarring is used as a mark of aesthetic embellishment for the human body, and therefore can be assumed that the sculptor intended the figure to be beautiful. One can assume the woman in the sculpture to be a beautiful woman that has completed her coming of age ceremony, and the sculpture to enhance the power of a spirit with its presence in a shrine. Child bearing in Africa is held in high regard and females are also highly regarded as a result. All Akan-speaking groups of Ghana are matrilineal societies meaning that they greatly value and respect the roles of women. Among the Ga, girls partake in a coming of age ceremony called janine. The following discussion about these ceremonies is based on my interviews in November, 2001 with Gabriel Nelson and Yacub Addy, lecturers of Ghanaian music and dance at Skidmore College. They informed me that this ceremony is held annually for the girls of about sixteen years old, and sometimes younger since the ceremony is less expensive for girls at a younger age. From birth up until this time, a girl’s freedoms are limited, as she belongs to her family, and not yet to herself. She may not leave the vicinity of the house at will, and must ask her parents’ permission to do so; even then, she is restricted in her range of activities. Before she has completed the rite of janine, a young girl’s household duties take priority over any outside activity. A girl may not roam freely with her friends, and may not have a boyfriend at all. This critical time in development is meant to be free of distraction to learn how to run the household, so that once she is married, she is prepared to head one of her own. The janine ceremony is an exciting event that generates great anticipation for the participant and the participant’s family, considering that the girl’s life will change from this point forward. While a girl’s life will still revolve around family and the home, but she will now make the transition into increased independence. Dating, marriage, and increased socialization in society is permitted and even encouraged once a girl has completed janine. A girl may not be married or have children until this ceremony is completed, as breakers of this rule will be frowned upon by society. Before the ceremony, girls are examined by a female elder to see if they are pregnant. If a pregnancy should ensue before janine, the girl will be asked to abort the child, as to not bring shame upon her family. Girls are in the traditional manners of dress for the ceremony, but only as much as their parents can afford. Hand woven Kente is expensive, and it is sometimes replaced with cheaper factory printed cloth. The girls wear a cloth around their waist to cover their loins, and are otherwise naked and barefoot. A fibrous necklace interwoven with green leaves is worn around the neck, and their bodies are painted in white and yellow designs. The girl or group of girls is paraded around the village to be shown off for everyone to see, especially young, male suitors. With every festival, there is drumming, dancing, and singing specific to that event, in which the whole village partakes. At the end of the tour around the village, the girls are brought to a field where they are lined up to be admired by the community. This “line up” is typically a time when young men generally pick out, or at least check out, the girls that they would like to date or to marry. Suitors may approach a girl’s family about her availability that day, or any time after and the family may accept or reject him based on how well he may provide for their daughter. Just before a woman is to be married, she must undergo another phase of the ceremony, occurring at the seaside. The bride-to-be stands naked in a group of about twenty friends and relatives on the beach who throw sand at her to symbolically rid the bride of any impurities that may be residing within her. This can go on anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour, at the completion of which she is taken to the ocean and dipped in the water three times. Once married, a woman is allowed to, but not expected to work outside the home, as it is her husband’s job to provide for her. Women may go to universities and have careers, but there is still some conflict in values with older generations. Women’s primary concern is still managing the home, even though she may contribute to her household financially. The birth of a child is cause for much celebration in Ghana. When the child is born, he or she is kept inside the house for one week before shown around to the community. The child is named after the day of the week on which he or she was born, and whether male or female. On that day one week later, the child and the parents go outside the home to see a certain star at about four thirty in the morning, and sing a song Both of the parents sing to the child, as the child is set on the ground before them. The lyrics, phonetically, are spelled like this:
A ta boom ma ma, A ta boom ma ma Nyemo yayo bayo to Ta ta te, ye ye yo A fi ya i ya ba, ya ya ko.
The lyrics mean that the child can see, yet he can not see; that he can hear, but he cannot hear, and basically a type of prayer that the child will turn out to be a good person. Societal values are embodied in a culture’s people and in its artwork. Any piece of artwork is a small representation of the society from which it came. The Akan female sculpture embodies the Ghanaian values of society and reverence of female form and her societal function. The sculpture suggests by its markings, hairstyle, and beads around the waist, that the figure has undergone the ceremonial undertakings that change her from a child, to a beautiful woman. by Becky Jarczynski |
