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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;2manybooks, post: 4515755, member: 8267&quot;]As others have said, the little fellow with a staff is probably an Ashanti/Akan gold weight. Probably made of brass (or related alloy - because they were made with recycled metals the composition can be variable), and made using the &quot;lost-wax&quot; method of casting.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Ashanti (Asante) are part of the Akan ethnic group, located in Ghana, in West Africa. Historically known as the Gold Coast, the region was rich in gold deposits, and gold dust and nuggets were used as currency up until the late 19th century. These small cast objects were used as counterweights in a scale when measuring out the gold for transactions.</p><p><br /></p><p>The weights were made in a variety of shapes, some simple geometric forms as well as animal and human figures often illustrating Akan stories and proverbs. Small, artistic, and often amusing, they have been popular as souvenirs of the region for many years. Although no longer used for weighing out gold, artisans have continued to make them for sale since the early 20th century.</p><p><br /></p><p>These websites have additional information and show examples of the variety of gold weights:</p><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://fowler.ucla.edu/behind-the-scenes-ghanaian-gold-weights/" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://fowler.ucla.edu/behind-the-scenes-ghanaian-gold-weights/" rel="nofollow">https://fowler.ucla.edu/behind-the-scenes-ghanaian-gold-weights/</a></p><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://www.nms.ac.uk/explore-our-collections/stories/world-cultures/gold-weights-from-ghana/" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.nms.ac.uk/explore-our-collections/stories/world-cultures/gold-weights-from-ghana/" rel="nofollow">https://www.nms.ac.uk/explore-our-collections/stories/world-cultures/gold-weights-from-ghana/</a></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The ring is quite nice and interesting. It looks somewhat similar to rings/pendants attributed to the Dogon (and neighboring groups) in Mali, and may be from that region. You can see similar spiral cone shapes on these pendants:</p><p><img src="http://www.brunoclaessens.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Dogon-pendant-not-ring-Bruno-Claessens-collection.png" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p><a href="https://brunoclaessens.com/2014/09/objects-of-the-day-three-dogon-pendants-from-mali/#.YuALyb3MLIU" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://brunoclaessens.com/2014/09/objects-of-the-day-three-dogon-pendants-from-mali/#.YuALyb3MLIU" rel="nofollow">https://brunoclaessens.com/2014/09/objects-of-the-day-three-dogon-pendants-from-mali/#.YuALyb3MLIU</a></p><p><br /></p><p>And a similar braided design on this Dogon equestrian pendant/ring:</p><p>[ATTACH=full]397202[/ATTACH] </p><p><a href="http://www.karlssonandwickman.com/tribal-metal/hdpzcx3brezd3n1044zdje0t3f7jih-n4ye3" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://www.karlssonandwickman.com/tribal-metal/hdpzcx3brezd3n1044zdje0t3f7jih-n4ye3" rel="nofollow">http://www.karlssonandwickman.com/tribal-metal/hdpzcx3brezd3n1044zdje0t3f7jih-n4ye3</a></p><p><br /></p><p>As for the freestanding female figure, it is rather generic, but it does resemble some Ashanti carved wooden figures. It may have been made as a charm, as a gold weight, or as a souvenir.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]397204[/ATTACH] </p><p><a href="http://www.karlssonandwickman.com/new-items/u4uv3va67cvmivt2lrm0so569kvkmp" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://www.karlssonandwickman.com/new-items/u4uv3va67cvmivt2lrm0so569kvkmp" rel="nofollow">http://www.karlssonandwickman.com/new-items/u4uv3va67cvmivt2lrm0so569kvkmp</a>[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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