Goldweight [Drum] 19th-20th century

This Akan goldweight from an unknown date, now residing at the Minneapolis Institute of Art, takes the form of a drum. In Akan culture, drums are not merely instruments but vessels of communication, capable of summoning spirits and conveying messages to chiefs and the community. Consider the drum's hourglass shape, echoed in ancient fertility figures across cultures. The rhythm of the drum, like the beating heart, becomes a symbol of life itself. From the shamanistic rituals of Siberia to the trance dances of ancient Greece, the drumbeat induces altered states of consciousness, bridging the gap between the mundane and the divine. The drum, then, is more than just an object, it is a conduit, resonating with ancestral voices and stirring the collective unconscious. It is a testament to how cultural memory and subconscious forces may have affected the production and interpretation of the motif of the drum. It resurfaces, evolves, and takes on new meanings in different historical contexts.