Carlotta - the museum database

E03 :: Värt sin vikt guld!

Object description

Hos ashantifolket i Västafrika har guld länge varit en handelsvara men också en symbol för släktskap, välgång och odödlighet. Tidigare användes guldsand och guldklimpar som betalningsmedel och vägdes då noggrant upp på små vågar. Små fantasifullt utformade vikter balanserade högarna av guldsand. Här ser vi vikter med geometriska dekorationer, men också i form av en jordnöt, en stege och en skalbagge.

Bredvid de små vikterna ligger en speciell sorts fodral eller hylsa. Sådana hylsor kallas kipande eller ”infödingspass”. Invånarna i Brittiska Östafrika, nuvarande Kenya, var tvungna att bära sådana pass under kolonialtiden.

Inuti hylsan fanns uppgifter om namn, hemort och fingeravtryck, ungefär som på ett hundhalsband. När som helst kunde en tjänsteman öppna hylsan och kontrollera om personen hade rätt att vara på en viss plats. Kipandepassen är ett tydligt uttryck för hur kolonialismen drabbade människor i vardagen. Denna kipande ägdes av Kiptilak från byn Sibou i norra Marakwet.

Data elements
References (80)

Monterdel

E03

Magasinet - id

E03

Titel

Värt sin vikt guld!

Titel, engelska

Worth Its Weight in Gold!

Beskrivning

Beskrivning - engelska

Among the Ashanti people of West Africa, gold has long been a commodity but is also a symbol of kinship, prosperity, and immortality. In the past, gold dust and gold nuggets were used as means of payment and weighed meticulously on small scales. Small, imaginatively designed weights were balanced by heaps of gold dust. Here we see weights with geometric decoration, as well as others in the form of a peanut, a ladder and a beetle.

Beside the small weights lies a special kind of case or cover. Such cases are called kipande or "native passports". The inhabitants of British East Africa, now Kenya, were forced to carry passports like this during the colonial period.

Inside the case were detailed the person's name, domicile, and fingerprints, much like on a dog collar. At any time, an official could open the case and check on someone's right to be in a certain place. The kipande passports are a clear expression of how colonialism impacted harshly on people's everyday life. This kipande was owned by Kiptilak from the village of Sibou in northern Marakwet.

Belongs to Del av utställning

Magasinet - E :: Magasinets ordning; keramik, porslin, metall

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