#kwahu

(rubs my lil gay hands) PRIDE EVERYBODY!!!

i wanted to reintroduce but also show newer characters for Emral, so doing these headshots were fun!

some names in order: edward (she/her), madeline, & enna peter & pam katherine, rayen & kwahu shamrock, nero, chandan, aurora alister, & helice (she/they)!

planning to make small bios about them soon o(*￣▽￣*)ブ

Commemorative Container (Abusua Kuruwa), Kwahu, 1875, Art Institute of Chicago: Arts of Africa

From the 17th to the mid-20th century, the abusua kuruwa (literally, “family pot”) featured prominently in commemorative rituals for the nobility among the Asante and related peoples, including the Kwahu. This large, boldly embellished vessel takes the form of a storage container on which raised motifs—including snakes, a bird, and two male figures (one holding a rifle)—are applied. These had proverbial meanings or illustrated necessities, such as a chiefly entourage, that the deceased would require in the afterlife. A family pot was displayed during second burial celebrations and could be used on a shrine, as evidenced by this vessel’s crusty patina. Gift of Keith Achepohl Size: 36.8 x 52.1 cm (14 1/2 x 20 1/2 in.) Medium: Terracotta and sacrificial material

Commemorative Container (Abusua Kuruwa), Kwahu, 1950, Art Institute of Chicago: Arts of Africa

This Kwahu container demonstrates a sophisticated balance of forms. The small, round vessel that serves as its base stands on three legs and is embellished with circular knobs and cowrie-shaped attachments. The gracefully rendered woman who crowns its lid, perhaps intended to represent the deceased, has the flat-headed from and cowrie-shaped eyes of Kwahu figural sculptures. She sits on a classic Akan-style stool, which underscores her noble status, and holds a small bowl in her hands. Across the Akan-speaking region of what is today primarily Ghana, members of the royal elite were entitled to commission commemorative, funerary figures and vessels. These practices were already well established in the seventeenth century, when early European travelers took note of pottery containers and sculptures on gravesites; they have waned since the second half of the twentieth century. While women are makers of domestic pottery in the area, both sexes fashion commemorative containers called abusua kuruwa, or family pots. These are found in a variety of styles ranging from simple to complex, reflecting their wide distribution and long-standing importance. These variations are also due in part to the fact that a potter made only a few such vessels during his or her career. An abusua kuruwa was displayed during second burial celebrations, when the family of the deceased ate together and offered food to their departed relative. Among the Kwahu the pot stood under a shelter constructed next to a ritual hearth where special food was prepared for the dead. Afterwards it was set, along with the cooking paraphernalia, on the deceased’s grave. Hair and nail parings from family members may have been placed into the vessel as a symbol of familial unity. Such pots are also seen on shrines, in royal stool rooms, and even in residential compounds, where they hold drinking water for the ranking elder, reflecting his or her close connection to the ancestors. Gift of Keith Achepohl Size: 35.9 x 16.8 cm (14 1/8 x 6 5/8 in.) Medium: Terracotta

Commemorative Container (Abusua Kuruwa), Kwahu, 1875, Art Institute of Chicago: Arts of Africa

From the 17th to the mid-20th century, the abusua kuruwa (literally, “family pot”) featured prominently in commemorative rituals for the nobility among the Asante and related peoples, including the Kwahu. This large, boldly embellished vessel takes the form of a storage container on which raised motifs—including snakes, a bird, and two male figures (one holding a rifle)—are applied. These had proverbial meanings or illustrated necessities, such as a chiefly entourage, that the deceased would require in the afterlife. A family pot was displayed during second burial celebrations and could be used on a shrine, as evidenced by this vessel’s crusty patina. Gift of Keith Achepohl Size: 36.8 x 52.1 cm (14 1/2 x 20 1/2 in.) Medium: Terracotta and sacrificial material

Commemorative Container (Abusua Kuruwa), Kwahu, 1950, Art Institute of Chicago: Arts of Africa

This Kwahu container demonstrates a sophisticated balance of forms. The small, round vessel that serves as its base stands on three legs and is embellished with circular knobs and cowrie-shaped attachments. The gracefully rendered woman who crowns its lid, perhaps intended to represent the deceased, has the flat-headed from and cowrie-shaped eyes of Kwahu figural sculptures. She sits on a classic Akan-style stool, which underscores her noble status, and holds a small bowl in her hands. Across the Akan-speaking region of what is today primarily Ghana, members of the royal elite were entitled to commission commemorative, funerary figures and vessels. These practices were already well established in the seventeenth century, when early European travelers took note of pottery containers and sculptures on gravesites; they have waned since the second half of the twentieth century. While women are makers of domestic pottery in the area, both sexes fashion commemorative containers called abusua kuruwa, or family pots. These are found in a variety of styles ranging from simple to complex, reflecting their wide distribution and long-standing importance. These variations are also due in part to the fact that a potter made only a few such vessels during his or her career. An abusua kuruwa was displayed during second burial celebrations, when the family of the deceased ate together and offered food to their departed relative. Among the Kwahu the pot stood under a shelter constructed next to a ritual hearth where special food was prepared for the dead. Afterwards it was set, along with the cooking paraphernalia, on the deceased’s grave. Hair and nail parings from family members may have been placed into the vessel as a symbol of familial unity. Such pots are also seen on shrines, in royal stool rooms, and even in residential compounds, where they hold drinking water for the ranking elder, reflecting his or her close connection to the ancestors. Gift of Keith Achepohl Size: 35.9 x 16.8 cm (14 1/8 x 6 5/8 in.) Medium: Terracotta

Commemorative Container (Abusua Kuruwa), Kwahu, 1950, Art Institute of Chicago: Arts of Africa

This Kwahu container demonstrates a sophisticated balance of forms. The small, round vessel that serves as its base stands on three legs and is embellished with circular knobs and cowrie-shaped attachments. The gracefully rendered woman who crowns its lid, perhaps intended to represent the deceased, has the flat-headed from and cowrie-shaped eyes of Kwahu figural sculptures. She sits on a classic Akan-style stool, which underscores her noble status, and holds a small bowl in her hands. Across the Akan-speaking region of what is today primarily Ghana, members of the royal elite were entitled to commission commemorative, funerary figures and vessels. These practices were already well established in the seventeenth century, when early European travelers took note of pottery containers and sculptures on gravesites; they have waned since the second half of the twentieth century. While women are makers of domestic pottery in the area, both sexes fashion commemorative containers called abusua kuruwa, or family pots. These are found in a variety of styles ranging from simple to complex, reflecting their wide distribution and long-standing importance. These variations are also due in part to the fact that a potter made only a few such vessels during his or her career. An abusua kuruwa was displayed during second burial celebrations, when the family of the deceased ate together and offered food to their departed relative. Among the Kwahu the pot stood under a shelter constructed next to a ritual hearth where special food was prepared for the dead. Afterwards it was set, along with the cooking paraphernalia, on the deceased’s grave. Hair and nail parings from family members may have been placed into the vessel as a symbol of familial unity. Such pots are also seen on shrines, in royal stool rooms, and even in residential compounds, where they hold drinking water for the ranking elder, reflecting his or her close connection to the ancestors. Gift of Keith Achepohl Size: 35.9 x 16.8 cm (14 1/8 x 6 5/8 in.) Medium: Terracotta

Commemorative Container (Abusua Kuruwa), Kwahu, 1950, Art Institute of Chicago: Arts of Africa

This Kwahu container demonstrates a sophisticated balance of forms. The small, round vessel that serves as its base stands on three legs and is embellished with circular knobs and cowrie-shaped attachments. The gracefully rendered woman who crowns its lid, perhaps intended to represent the deceased, has the flat-headed from and cowrie-shaped eyes of Kwahu figural sculptures. She sits on a classic Akan-style stool, which underscores her noble status, and holds a small bowl in her hands. Across the Akan-speaking region of what is today primarily Ghana, members of the royal elite were entitled to commission commemorative, funerary figures and vessels. These practices were already well established in the seventeenth century, when early European travelers took note of pottery containers and sculptures on gravesites; they have waned since the second half of the twentieth century. While women are makers of domestic pottery in the area, both sexes fashion commemorative containers called abusua kuruwa, or family pots. These are found in a variety of styles ranging from simple to complex, reflecting their wide distribution and long-standing importance. These variations are also due in part to the fact that a potter made only a few such vessels during his or her career. An abusua kuruwa was displayed during second burial celebrations, when the family of the deceased ate together and offered food to their departed relative. Among the Kwahu the pot stood under a shelter constructed next to a ritual hearth where special food was prepared for the dead. Afterwards it was set, along with the cooking paraphernalia, on the deceased’s grave. Hair and nail parings from family members may have been placed into the vessel as a symbol of familial unity. Such pots are also seen on shrines, in royal stool rooms, and even in residential compounds, where they hold drinking water for the ranking elder, reflecting his or her close connection to the ancestors. Gift of Keith Achepohl Size: 35.9 x 16.8 cm (14 1/8 x 6 5/8 in.) Medium: Terracotta

Commemorative Container (Abusua Kuruwa), Kwahu, 1875, Art Institute of Chicago: Arts of Africa

From the 17th to the mid-20th century, the abusua kuruwa (literally, “family pot”) featured prominently in commemorative rituals for the nobility among the Asante and related peoples, including the Kwahu. This large, boldly embellished vessel takes the form of a storage container on which raised motifs—including snakes, a bird, and two male figures (one holding a rifle)—are applied. These had proverbial meanings or illustrated necessities, such as a chiefly entourage, that the deceased would require in the afterlife. A family pot was displayed during second burial celebrations and could be used on a shrine, as evidenced by this vessel’s crusty patina. Gift of Keith Achepohl Size: 36.8 x 52.1 cm (14 1/2 x 20 1/2 in.) Medium: Terracotta and sacrificial material