Primitive weapon or tool
Gan, Burkina Faso
Archaeological iron
Circa 19th century

The religious and functional artwork of the Gan, who call themselves the Kaaba or Kamba, has often been misattributed to neighboring groups in Burkina Faso and Ghana such as the Senufo, Lobi, or Kulango. Research indicates that the Gan (who can be distinguished by their regionally unique language) originated in central Ghana and emigrated northwest to Burkina Faso in the 15th century. Not coincidentally, Gan bronzes excavated in Burkina Faso can date back to the 15th century, but not earlier (Schaedler, Earth and Ore, 1997).

Most of the archaeological metalwork from Burkina Faso is said to be Gan, hence pieces such as this, which we label Gan, despite there being no known counterpart, contemporary or historical. The identification of nearly all archaeological metalwork from Burkina Faso as Gan is the result of our current relatively poor understanding of the ancient history of the area due to a lack of concerted scholarly research (Amyas Naegele, personal communication, 2016; Roy, Land of the Flying Masks, 2007).

Mounted on a custom display stand, pictured below. 

21.25 in :: 54 cm

InventoryID #13-1098

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