Carving Tradition in Ghana - Welcome - · PDF fileCarving Tradition in Ghana By William Boateng National Commission on Culture C arving is the analytic study of the medium using the

G H A N A A N D U N E S C O

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GHANA NATIONAL COMMISSION FOR UNESCO

CarvingTraditionin Ghana

By William BoatengNational Commission on Culture

Carving is the analyticstudy of the medium usingthe requisite tools to removethe unwanted parts to arriveat a final product which hasbeen previously conceived inthe storehouse of the mind.

It requires the use of aparticular set of carving toolsin order to facilitate easycarving process and therealization of the ultimategoal. Many media could beused to produce artifacts.They range from wood, ivory,metal, bone, marble, plasterof Paris, stone, PVC and manyother forms of hardware.

Carving in Ghana begunas a communal form of expres-

sion based on the ideas andideals of the entire commu-nity or ethnic group.

Deviation from commu-nity acceptable standards ofexpression into other aestheticexpressions using wood orother media was tabooed bythe community. Carving wasdone expressively under thestrict dictates of clan leaders,religious leaders, chiefs andother opinion leaders. Thisallowed very little room forindividual expression and cre-ativity. Nevertheless, carvingstill sustained communaland social life in many ways.Carving produced a multi-plicity of drums for traditionalorchestra and ensembles andpromoted solidarity, socialcohesion and entertainment

Carving provided for awider range of householdequipment. Examples of theseare mortars, pestles, wooden

bowls, ladles, combs, stools,chairs, walking sticks, linguiststaves and countless array oftraditional games. The restinclude canoes, hoe handles,boxes, beds, cupboards, swordsand many more.

In Ghana, wood carvingbegun prominently in theforested areas. This devel-opment was partly due to theabundance and easy acces-sibility of the raw materialfor carving which was woodcoupled with the people’sinterest in the profession.Among the Akans of Ghana,carving was practiced. It wasnot practiced on a wide scaleby many carvers. Rather itwas practiced by a few carversin the community.

This limited number ofcarvers were seen as theprivileged minority becausethey were so skillful in theexecution of the art thatpeople saw them as having

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been endowed with specialtalents from God which hasbestowed on them immensepotential to create artisticmasterpieces beyond normalhuman capabilities.

This privileged minoritywas accorded special respectand their opinions were res-pected in the community.Akan wood carvers who wereversatile in the productionof all kinds of wood carvingswere called “Ohene Dwumfuor”literally translates as “theChief’s carpenter”. Akan tra-ditional carvers were greatlyfeared, respected and admiredfor their ingenuity and prac-ticality of their stylizations.

As the carving professionprogressed over the yearsin Ghana, and particularlyamong the Akans, it remainedan exclusive preserve foronly males. No female wasallowed to carve. Only themales who were acclaimedto be endowed with specialtalents upheld the tradition.Varieties of tropical woodspecies used as raw materialfor carving included the fo-llowing: Afromosia, Kokrodua,Kyenkyen, Mahogany, Odum,Dwuma, Sese, Twenebua, Wawa,Onyina, Funtum etc.

The trees for carving werenot felled off hand withoutpassing through certain ritualpurification methods. Thetrees for carving were consid-ered during those days asabodes, dwelling places orreceptacles for certain unseenspiritual forces or supernat-ural spirits and powers. Someof these supernatural spirits,according to Akan mythol-ogy were at certain timesvery violent and malevolent.Others were considered to bevery friendly and benevolent.So in order not to incur the

wrath of any malevolentspirit inhabiting any of thesewooden species for carving,it was proper to go throughcertain ritual purificationpractices to dislodge thesesupernatural spirits inhabitingthe tree to make the woodaccessible to the carver.

At certain times, a ram,some fowls and bottles ofschnapps or other alcoholicbeverages were used in therituals to dislodge completelya strong spirit. The offeringsvaried in their presentationbecause some of the spiritswere weaker and thereforecould easily be dislodged withsmall offerings. The verytough and malevolent spiritsdemanded higher sacrificesand at times at the expenseof human lives.

It was very necessary togo through these rituals inorder to fell a tree for carving.Previous experiences showedthe carvers that, the rampantloss of lives when a tree wasbeing felled was due to the factthat the spirits inhabitingthe trees were not dislodgedthrough pacification rituals.

The strange beginningsof the carving professionembodied the manufacture

of carving tools. Carvers man-ufactured their own set oftools from iron scraps. Thisimplies that the early carverswere equally skillful in theuse of iron. Rather, for conve-nience sake, one either choseto be a carver or a smith. Inwhich case, creativity wasthe hallmark and thereforesaw them skillfully throughtheir productions.

Tradition had it that,after the carver has success-fully manufactured all thetools he needed, he has topacify the tools before usingthem. Special libation prayerswere offered to the ancestorsand the gods to protect thecarver from injuries duringthe use of the carving tools.Hitherto, during those days,tetanus was not known as afatal disease which couldbe caused by tools that were



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prone to the vectors of thisfatal disease. The carvers weredying from cuts from thetools as a result of tetanus.Ignorance of the causativefactors for the rampant acci-dental cuts from tools andassociated deaths made thecarvers apportion the causeto strained relations betweenthem and the ancestors.

So, anytime one was to beapprenticed as a carver, or,when a carver acquired a newset of tools, the tools had tobe pacified to solicit goodand cordial relations fromthe ancestors and the gods.During the pacification rit-uals, strong alcoholic drinkswere poured on the tools andspecial libation prayers wereoffered. At certain times fowlswere slaughtered if frequentdeaths have been recordedwithin that guild of carvers.

Surprisingly enough whenthe tools were pacified, deathsfrom stool cuts reduced dras-tically. The writer is of theopinion that, the minds ofthe carvers were psycholog-ically prepared to alleviateimpending dangers and fearof death from tool injuriesand this as a result mighthave strengthened their egosand kept them on with theirmass productions.

The carvers produced alot of wooden utensils for usein the home, drums for festi-vals and durbars, masks forrecreation and rituals, stools,beds, combs, rattles and thechief’s regalia and parapher-nalia. The carvers have beenversatile in their productionsand thus have made signif-icant contribution to the bet-terment of communal, social,economic and religious life. Alot of figurative sculptures wereproduced to form the basisfor ethnic religious practices.

Among the Akans, whenthe Akuaba doll and other fig-urative sculptures were beingcarved, pregnant women werenot allowed near the carversuntil the figurative sculpturehas been successfully carvedand polished. It was believedthat if the pregnant womansees the unfinished carving, itwould affect the developmentof the foetus in the womb.Unfinished carving has a lotof deformities which receiveattention as the carver pro-gresses with the carving. So,it was a belief shared amongthe Akans that when thedeformities in the unfinishedcarving attract the attentionof the pregnant woman, itmay affect the orderly growthof the fetus in the womb.

This belief and othertaboos associated with thecarving profession made it tobe secluded from public places.It was therefore done in acloset and not out there in theopen. The secluded natureof the profession made it notonly sacred but increased theconcentration of the carvers.They therefore carved withprecision, speed and accuracyand realized further improve-ments in skill and technology.

In Ghana, unlike othercounterparts in Central andEastern Africa, figurativesculpture received attentionmostly with the reproductionof the male and femaleAkuaba dolls. Other figura-tive sculptures were placed atthe tip of linguist staves andas finials for state umbrellas.The rest were found in shrinesand oracles. Figurative sculp-tures in Ghana were used asfertility cult objects, to sym-bolize social class distinctionslike symbols of authority asexemplified by linguist stavesand state umbrella finials.

Figurative sculptures alsoconstitute the most impor-tant part of the chief’s regaliaand revered as cult objects inshrines and other fetish homes.

Special stools believed tocontain the mythical soul ofthe ethnic lands were carved.These stools were used by thechief’s who preside over theseethnic groups. The stools haveemblems which served aschannels of identification forthese ethnic groups. Theseemblems were figurative andsymbolic. They range fromanthropomorphic to zoomor-phic representations. Theywere specially carved with alot of expertise and mastery.

Ghanaian carved productsgo beyond figurative sculp-ture into the production ofmany things for use in thefamily. These include tradi-tional games like oware, dameand archery. Archery is rarelypracticed in Southern Ghana,unlike the North where tracesof this ancient game is stillpracticed during festive occa-sions. Archery employs theuse of specially manufac-tured bows and arrows.

Carving in the contem-porary sense does representa complete breakaway formhow it existed in the past. Itstill thrives on most of pastcarving traditions. Places likeAhwiaa in the Ashanti Regionof Ghana widely employ theuse of indigenous carving



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technologies that have char-acterized the profession sincetime immemorial. A lot oftraditional carving is doneat Ahwiaa. The carvers pro-duce a lot of stools, chairs,drums, combs and a complexarray of artifacts of woodenessence. Their products arevery remarkable and haveover the years served as viableplanks of non-traditionalexports capable of generatingforeign exchange into thecountry. This wood carvingtradition has made Ahwiaaa major tourist hub for thesearch of souvenirs.

There are many carversscattered all over the countrywho are doing good business.They keep excelling in theircreativity and craftsmanship.Carving in Ghana, as prac-ticed by the traditional carvers,represents a different scenariofrom that of the intellectualclass. They both have differentmodes of aesthetic expression.Whichever way these expres-sions find themselves, theysolve a lot of problems withinthe community because ofthe patronage each categoryreceives.

Carvers have placed a lotof emphasis on the func-tional necessity of sculpture.They could produce furnitureand embody a lot of sculp-ture inside to heighten theaesthetic value alongside theutilitarian value. This func-tional application of sculpturehas made the art versatileand more acceptable to thecommunities despite religiousand ideological constraints.

A lot of churches and otherpublic buildings prefer to usecarved doors with suitablepictorial reliefs depicting spe-cial messages that edify thepeople. Churches and other

public organizations preferto use carved pulpits with spe-cial designed emblems thatidentify them as a peoplewith a common destiny. Theaffluent class prefers to adorntheir living rooms with beau-tiful figurative sculptures todemonstrate their love foraestheticism as a philosophyto be embraced.

Caskets and coffins havereceived an impressive sculp-tural outlook to the extent thatwhen a fisherman, a driver,a cocoa farmer etc dies; thecasket or coffin is designedto commensurate with theprofession of the deceasedwhilst alive. A fisherman isburied in a casket which takesthe semblance of a fish, adriver’s casket or coffin takesafter the car or lorry thedeceased drove when alive,and a cocoa farmer is buriedin a casket or coffin shapedlike a cocoa pod. This is apotent form of sculpturalexpression is a major break-through in the carving pro-fession. These developmentsamplify the need for the func-tional necessity of sculpture.

Carving in the contem-porary sense dwells massivelyon creativity. It thereforedepends on the sculptor’sability to make it big usingcreatively as the means. Thechallenge lies ahead of boththe academic and the tradi-tional carvers. The more cre-ative one becomes the morevocal and attractive the pro-ductions become.

Wood carving exhibitionson solo basis are quite rarein the country. Exhibitions ofcarvings are normally seenand heard of during CraftBazaars and other publicand private fairs. However,there are always a lot ofcarvings on permanent dis-

play and sale to the generalpublic in many towns andcities in Ghana. Such placesinclude the Kumasi CulturalCentre, Arts Centre, Accra,Tetteh Quarshie Roundabout,Accra, Ahwiaa, Kumasi,Aburi, Cape Coast, Sekondi–Takoradi, Koforidua etc. Theinteresting aspect of thecarving industry is that it isgradually dissipating itselffrom that static poise whichhas characterized the pro-fession since time immemorial.A new era has dawned onthe profession where creativitysignifies the key to success.Wood carvings are becomingbeautiful everyday.

The wood carving indus-try of the Akans of Ghana isan indigenous craft traditionthat remains vigorous in aworld of rapid change. Woodcarving has retained its eco-nomic and cultural impor-tance for hundreds of years.Wood is one of the mostimportant materials Akansuse in their arts to expresstheir thoughts. Wood essen-tially continues to be used tocarve various items for house-hold use as well as for ceremo-nial uses. Among the house-hold items that are carvedfrom wood are adwa (stool),akuaba (doll), dua afe (comb),poma (staff) to be used byokyeame (spokesperson orlinguist) for either the abusua(family) or ohene (King). Otherproducts of Akan wood carversinclude containers and boxes,and wood sculpture. Woodcarvings have symbolic, aes-thetic and ceremonial values.

At the personal level,dolls, jewel boxes, and combsare used to express beauty,love and fertility. A man maycarve and give a wooden combto a woman to express hislove for her.



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Wooden dolls are used forfertility, play, religious pur-poses, and also to express theAkan notion of beauty. Dollsare used as fertility figures andworn by women either toinduce conception or, duringpregnancy, to assure the birthof beautiful child. When awoman carries a doll on herback, she is expressing the wishof having her own children.When a pregnant womancarries a doll on her back, sheis expressing the wish to havea boy or a girl depending onthe shape of the head of thedoll she is carrying. A flatdiscoid (or oval) headed dollis a girl and a flat rectan-gular head represents a boy.The doll representing a girlhas a long ringed neck andmay be wearing beads aroundthe neck and waistline toemphasize beauty. In thepast, dolls were left at theoutskirts of town as part ofa religious ceremony to wardoff evil spirits.

A female doll may portraysome of the physical aspectsof Akan view of a beautifulwoman - oval or round broadface, long ringed neck, roundly

shaped buttocks and legs. TheAkan woman may wear beadsaround the waist and neck.

The okyeame and abusuapoma (linguist’s and familystaffs) are used for politicaland judicial purposes. In theking’s court, for example, thelinguist will carry the pomato express profound messagesrelating to justice, peace, con-flict resolution, and arbitra-tion. The linguist will alsocarry a staff on diplomaticmissions for the chief. In suchinstance the symbol on thestaff will encode the messagebeing carried by the emissary.

In the chief’s palace,carving culminated in theproduction of palanquins,drums, state umbrellas, stateswords, linguist staves, figu-rative sculptures for ritual-istic performances and othersdepicting bigger forms ofwildlife.

The Akan lineage organ-ization comprises matrilinealclans (mmusua, pl.; abusua,sing.) that have major andminor segments. The clans(mmusua) number seven intotal. In various places dif-ferent names may be usedfor one and the same abusua.Sometimes, even in the sameplace, more than one namemay be used to refer to sameabusua or its minor segment.This leads to some writersto give the erroneous inter-pretations that Akan mmusuanumber more than seven.

Each Abusua is identifiedboth by its proper name andits common emblem, totem orsymbol. The Beretuo (Twidan)Abusua’s totem is the leopard(etwie or osebo). The Aduana(atwea, ntwea, aowin, aborade,or adwinade) is represented bythe dog (kraman, bodom) or

frog (atwere or aponkyerene).The Kona (asokore, ekoona oradonten)Abusua is representedby the water buffalo (ekoo).

The Oyoko (daku, yogo,yoko, oweko, or anona) Abusuais represented by the hawk(akroma or asansaa). Theparrot (akoo) represents theAgona Abusua,while the whale(bonsu)or the bat (apane) repre-sents the Asinie Abusua. Asona



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(odum, odum-na, dwum ordwumina) Abusua is representedby the crow, white crestedraven (adene or akonkron).

Stool CarvingThe Akan stool is carved

from one piece of wood(monoxyle). Its seat part isshaped like a crescent andrepresents the warm embraceof a mother. The middle partis carved as a symbolic mean-ing that can evoke either thestatus of the owner or beliefs,history, social and culturalvalues. The Akan stool has

multiple functions and is anobject of veneration. It is usedas a seat, as an aid to conveyexpressive messages, as anindicator of the status of itsowner and it is a prominentobject associated with ritesof passage, from birth tomarriage. The stool serves asa medium through whichthe living establishes andmaintains contact with theancestors.

Common in Akan homesis adwa (stool) that is used asa seat. The stool is an impor-tant political symbol in theindigenous Akan form ofgovernment. The stool of theking (ohene adwa) is the sacredsymbol of his political andreligious authority. It repre-

sents the permanence andcontinuity of the nation.

Akan wood carvers alsospecialize in masks, muralsand other pieces of work thatcan be hung on the wall. TheAkan masks are dramatic por-traits of spirit beings, departedancestors, and invisible powersof social control.

Masks are more asso-ciated with the Akan west ofpresent-day Ghana. The Bauleare one of the Akan peoplesthat use masks in public per-formances. They moved west

to the Ivory Coast more than200 years ago and adptedmasking traditions from their

neighbors, the Guro, Senufoand Yaure peoples. There arethree basic types used in aspecial dance of rejoicingcalled Goli, symbolizing thesocial order. Most of thesemasks are Kpan, with elabo-rate coiffures and refinedcarving, and represent theSenior female in the ceremo-nies. Another mask, Kplekple,represents the junior male.It is round and flat and isamong the most abstract oftraditional African masks. Athird type, a Goli Gulin, repre-sents the Senior male.

Stone CarvingStone carving has not

been practiced extensively inGhana. Figurative forms ofexpression in stone in thetraditional setting are rarelydone. A few academic sculptorsventure into stone carving.

The use of stone in thehomes is most often in theform of grinding stones usu-ally prepared for use in thekitchen. Igneous rocks thatare beautifully shaped andare found in the wild are mostoften revered as sacred geo-graphic formations. Rockyland sites have some kind ofmysticism associated withsuch sites. Traditionalists andChristian groups at times visitsuch sites to commune withprimeval nature because ofthe spiritual ascetic naturesuch sites portray. Beautifullyshaped rounded stones lyingidle at some places especiallymountainous areas are con-sidered to be cult objects andare therefore venerated.

Figurative sculpture as anaesthetic form of expressionin stone has been tackledexclusively by only a fewacademic sculptors and theimpact is yet to be felt on awider scale and magnitude.



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Bone and Ivory CarvingBone and Ivory Carving is

believed to have been intro-duced into the country bysome Ivorian carvers partic-ularly of Baule extraction.Bone and ivory carving finditself in the production of stat-uettes and figurines whichcan be used as jewels or asminiature decorative pieces.The larger population ofelephants in the Ivory Coastmight have contributed tothe encouragement of boneand ivory carving in thatcountry. In Ghana, ivory isan expensive raw materialand therefore artifacts pro-duced from ivory are veryexpensive. The aesthetic andcommercial value remainshigh and it is therefore a pre-serve for only those who havegreat affinity for jewels, partic-ularly necklaces and trinkets.

Bone carvings are quitecheaper compared to that ofivory. These carvings have verypowerful forms of aestheticexpressions and they arevery durable and compact.

Bull horns also constitutea good source of raw materialsfor the production of artifacts.The products include flowervases, lamp – stands anddecorative pieces depictingarboreal and marine speciesnamely; birds and fishes.

ConclusionCarving has remained

a unique tradition up-to-date. What is needed is toalleviate all forms of previousmental biases that have dis-sipated the latent energy ofthis time-tested and ancienttradition. Carving could pro-vide a major form of liveli-hood for both the rural andurban poor, for the numerouscarvers and sculptors whograduate from educationalinstitutions and also for otherswho have completed theirapprenticeship training fromother guilds of master carvers.

Public attitude towardsthe use of carvings should bereviewed to arouse and reju-venate people’s interest andappreciation for this channelof creativity. Civilization hasmade people aware thatcarved pieces cannot talk, hearor feel so they cannot be godsbut rather man-made devicesfor visual communication.

Wood carvings providereliable sources of historicinformation. They are usedto preserve the memory ofvery important events andpersonalities. They depictmyths, legends, folklore, sky-lore and linguistics typicalof many ethnic groups andtherefore serve as channelsfor identification and expres-sion of ethno-psychology.

Carving has a lot to beconsidered at this point intime that reflections are beingmade on indigenous art tech-nologies. Carving as a majorindigenous art technologyrequires the concerted efforts,motivation, assistance andencouragement of all andsundry for it to thrive and bein the position to meet bothlocal and foreign aestheticdemands.

With the introduction ofmodern tools and accessories,carving is undergoing a majorbreakthrough. Both schooledand unschooled carvers areable to produce very beautifuldesigns and patterns withthe modern tools availableto them. A complete set oftools at the disposal of thecarver provides enormousinspiration because the carverwill have the dexterity to pro-duce whatever design thatmay be conceived in thestorehouse of mind.

However, imported toolscontinue to be expensive andmay be outside the afford-ability of some of the carvers.Local improvisations alwayscome in handy because localblacksmiths are able to forgethe tools which could be brittlebut could produce remark-able results when skillfullyarticulated.

The acquisition of woodfor carving is not so much ofa problem in Ghana. It doesnot contribute in any signif-icant way to the depletion ofwood stocks in Ghanaianforests because the carversmostly use the surpluses fromthe timber merchants. Carvingis very tedious so no carver inone lifetime can even carvea whole big tree from theroots to the branches.

A significant step wouldbe to make credit facilitiesfrom governmental and non-governmental organizationseasily accessible to proficientcarvers to acquire completeset of tools and raw materialsto set up studios for work.Carvers would also requireexposure and marketingavenues for their productsthrough periodic exhibitionsand craft bazaars.

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Carving Tradition in Ghana - Welcome - · PDF fileCarving Tradition in Ghana By William Boateng National Commission on Culture C arving is the analytic study of the medium using the