African Non-weapon, please can anyone ID origin and symbolism

[katana]

Originally Posted by Tim Simmons

............ The crocodile in this case I suspect is used to express adaptability in life to take opportunity when it knocks. The Crocodile has the ability to live in water and land and indeed take prey when ever the opportunity arises{a little scary}. ........

Hi Tim,
thank you for the added details Interesting comment about the the crocodile's symbolism. The Ashanti often bury the box with their deceased.....containing gold/valuables....however in times of need these can be 'dug up' to benefit the family. I would assume that perhaps, this practise may be adopted by neighbouring tribes.
Also very pleased to discover that these boxes/containers were also made from wood and/or leather. The cast type were the property of the more wealthy/powerful members of the tribe.

".........The Ashanti developed remarkably diverse kuduo containers cast of copper alloys. Kuduo were used in many ways by the Ashanti. They held gold dust and other valuables, but could also be found in important political and ritual contexts. Some kuduo were buried with their owners, while others were kept in the palace shrine rooms that housed the ancestral stools of deceased state leaders. Life and the afterlife, the present and the past, were enhanced and made more meaningful by the presence of these elegant prestige vessels. ......."

" ..........The weights were used to measure out specific quantities of gold and gold dust, which was mined and panned in great quantities within the kingdom and used for trading with outsiders, for making personal adornments, and as an internal currency. The weights and their accoutrements such as boxes, spoons and balances were known as a futoo and wrapped together in cloth. They would then be put into a leather container, a wood box, or if the owner was a wealthy man, a cast-brass kuduo box. These boxes, full of gold dust, could be buried with their owners and dug up again if needed, or hidden in times of trouble. ........"

http://www.hunterian.gla.ac.uk/colle...ti/index.shtml


Kind Regards David