Ashanti weights — also known as Baoulé weights — embody a world in which economy, art, philosophy, and identity were intimately intertwined, and where objects carried as much meaning as function.
It is this alliance between beauty and symbolism that guides my eye and leads me to integrate them into my decorative creations, as a living heritage to be brought into dialogue with the present.
Originating from the Akan people of present-day Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast), these small brass weights were used from the 13th century until the end of the 19th century to measure gold, the region’s primary currency. Placed on delicate scales, they ensured fairness in trade while revealing the high level of sophistication of precolonial West African societies.
But Ashanti weights were never merely tools.
Ashanti Weights: A Symbolic Language
Cast in brass, Ashanti weights took the form of animals, human figures, everyday objects, or abstract geometric motifs. Each shape was intentional, never arbitrary. Many represented Akan proverbs, moral lessons, or social principles
Ashanti weight in bronze, an ancient tool for weighing gold, adorned with geometric and spiritual symbols. Each motif tells a story of values, proverbs, and balance between humanity, community, and the invisible world.
Through these objects, wisdom was transmitted visually.
Commerce became philosophy.
Measurement became narrative.
Owning a complete and refined set of Ashanti weights was a sign of wealth, knowledge, and moral authority. Precision was essential — not only from a mathematical standpoint but also from an ethical one. Balance was both real and symbolic.
From Ghana to Côte d’Ivoire: The Baoulé Connection
The history of Ashanti weights naturally extends to Côte d’Ivoire, carried by the migration of the Akan people. Among them, the Baoulé ethnic group holds a central place.
Between the 17th and 18th centuries, the Baoulé migrated from the Ashanti kingdom following political and dynastic conflicts. They carried with them a shared cultural foundation: language, social organization, spiritual beliefs, and a deep relationship to gold, symbolism, and craftsmanship.
This is why Ashanti weights resonate so strongly within Baoulé culture. They belong to the same Akan civilizational lineage.
Among the Baoulé, gold is not merely precious: it is spiritual, social, and ancestral. Objects are never created solely for their utility, but for their ability to transmit values, preserve memory, and maintain harmony between the visible and invisible worlds.
While Ashanti weights were more widespread in Ghana, their symbolic language — balance, proportion, repetition, animal forms — finds many echoes in Baoulé artistic expressions.
Proverbs Embodied in Matter
In Akan and Baoulé societies, proverbs structure life. They guide behavior, ease conflicts, and transmit collective wisdom. Ashanti weights can thus be understood as proverbs cast in brass.
This philosophy extends into Baoulé craftsmanship:
◉ Symmetry evokes justice and balance
◉ Repetition symbolizes continuity and lineage
◉ Organic forms recall the dialogue between humanity and nature
The artisan is not merely a creator, but a mediator between past and present.
The object becomes a message.
Living Traditions, Evolving Forms
Colonization and the introduction of minted coins at the end of the 19th century marked the end of the everyday use of gold weights. Many were collected, exported, or displayed in museums. Yet the traditions they embody never disappeared.
In contemporary craftsmanship:
◉ Materials evolve
◉ Usages change
◉ Forms become more refined, more modern
But the soul of the object remains.
When symbols inspired by Ashanti or Baoulé traditions appear in decoration, they are not the result of a passing trend. They are acts of continuity — bridges between ancestral knowledge and contemporary creation.
Keeping the Heritage Alive
I draw my inspiration from Ashanti heritage not to quote the past, but to reinterpret it, offering ancient symbols new contexts and new perspectives.
Thus, Ashanti weights — and the values they embody — continue their journey:
From gold to brass
From market scales to interior spaces
From ancestral hands to contemporary artisans
A discreet yet powerful reminder that tradition does not disappear: it transforms.
This exploration of Ashanti weights would not have been the same without Ahétou Bijoux, whose transmission and perspective were the starting point of this journey.
Thank you @Ahétou Bijoux✨🤍
