Liberian Brass Figure

Greetings forum,

I have a brass figure from Liberia that I would like to know more about. Apparantly it is from the Loma people in Lofa County. I have done exhaustive research online and have yet to find anything similar. Can anyone enlighten me as to its origins or purpose?

Hi Brendan

First, welcome to Tribal Art Forum.

If you'll send me the image (or images) as attachments to e-mail, I'll be glad to post them for you. My e-mail address is sprice@hsc.vcu.edu

Regards

Steve Price

Hi People

Here are three images of the piece, sent to me by Brendan.







Thanks, Brendan.

Regards

Steve Price

Hello, it would be interesting to know how this figure was acquired. In other words, how do you know it truly is Loma? I ask because very often objects can travel many miles and change hands many times, before ending up in the hands of a local trader who might possess only limited knowledge of it's original provenance and cultural background.
That said, there is indeed a tradition of figurative brass-casting in Liberia whose hey-day lasted only a few decades from early 1900's to the 30's. You may have already looked at some of the brass figurines from Liberia posted in the archived section on the websites homepage. The figurine in this thread wears a hairstyle which can be seen on figurines found in Liberia, mostly among the Dan and Guere, and on figurines from the Ivory Coast- where the Dan are found also, as well as Senufo and Baule. I have never seen a brass figure attributed to the Loma, and I am aware of over 100 copper alloy figures in various museum and publications (I am sure there many more).
It would be interesting to know the height and weight of the figure, and also interesting to see an image of the soles of the feet . The Dan cast their lost-wax figures upside-down, so that the casting sprues can be found on the soles of the feet. In constrast, ther Kran/Guere (or We) cast their figures right-side up. Overall, for what it's worth, this object reminds me most of figures I have seen from the Ivory Coast.

Hi Scott,

Thanks for your reply. I bought the figure in Monrovia from an established dealer. He was reasonably adament that it was from Lofa and was actually quite reluctant to sell. I do agree that pieces change hands many times and sometimes the true origin of the piece can be lost. I have seen the links on other pieces from the region, some similar, but the facial features on this peice are very similar with masks and statues from Lofa that i have seen here. The height of the piece is approx 21cm. It's quite weighty, aboult 2lb. Unfortunately the piece is now in storage in NY so I can't give the exact dimensions.

I do have other photo's particularly closer shots of the facial features and body but alas none of the soles of the feet.

Out of interest i do have another figure from a different dealer here that is also apparantly from Lofa. He maintains that the piece is very rare as it is from Lofa. As soon as i get my head around this vB coding I'll try to post shots of that as well.

Lastly, I would to thank you personally for your thread on 'Kru Money'. I was so intruiged by what has been written about the subject that I now have quite a collection myself. I would definitly like to hear more from anyone who has any knowledge on this fascinating subject and will also try to post photo's of my collection as soon as possible.

Hi Brendan

I'll be glad to post your photos for you, any time. Just send them to me and I'll either insert them into your messages or send you back simple instructions to make them appear.

The vBulletin software has a utility that allows users to upload files directly, but I keep it disabled. My reasons for this are that it prevents folks from uploading malicious code and/or viruses, and it gives me control over the sizes of the files and of the dimensions of the images.

Regards

Steve Price

Hello Brendan, I will look forward to seeing any photos you may post in the future.
You may also wish to take a look at an excellent website http://www.liberiapastandpresent.org/ which covers a lot of topics on Liberia- and includes a few examples of 'Kru money'. I will be particularly interested to see your photos of the Kru rings when they are available, and I would love to know how many you have come across.
I have nearly completed a 30 page monograph on the topic which expands quite a bit on the few notes I posted in 2004. Since that posting I have been able to examine quite a few rings some with single-knobs, three knobs and even five knobs--some of them one foot in diameter. The oldest I have seen were collected by Rev. Ralph Gurley (reported coiner of the name 'Liberia' ) sometime in the 1850's.
As for dealer you mentioned, I am in no position to contradict. But I will suggest you read a book (if you haven't already) by Steiner called AFRICAN ART IN TRANSIT which gives a great overview of dealers on African art in Cote D'Ivoire. The market is principally run by Moslem traders which have a wide network which extends through Europe and the US. As traders, the information they provide may or may not be accurate, but the goal is to 'sell' of course. The most brass-casting production in Liberia appears to have occurred in the north-east part of the country.

Hello, I thought I might add an anecdote which you might find interesting.
Several scholars have written about these brass figures, and a few have inventoried the various known styles and even learned the names of some of the brass-casters. As Brendan noted, his particular figurine does not resemble any of the others, and seems to stand alone among this corpus.
My caution regarding immediately accepting at face-value the object's attribution as Loma can be illustrated by taking the case of the statuette (2nd photo in the thread) posted in the now archived section under 'brass figure' which came from the online AMNH collection.
I should have been more precise when I stated that I was unaware of any brass-figures clearly attributed to the Loma, because the figure in the archived section is listed as either Gbande or Toma. However, the style of this artist is quite recognizable, and he has several works which are known today including some published by Hans Himmelheber (the well-known Dan ethnographer) in a chapter on Dan brass-work. see ART OF THE DAN. The explanation is that museums receiving donated collections may often accept the attribution of an object given by the collector, whether right of wrong, leaving for later any scholarly review and correction. I have run across this problem in other museum collections a few times.
Similarly, I was amazed one day to find a figure by this very same Dan artist offered by a German vendor as Cameroonian. see photo.



Having said all that, I reviewed an old book of mine by Pierre-Dominic Gaisseau THE SACRED FOREST which details the author's experience learning the secret rites of the Toma in Guinea ( known as the Loma in Liberia). Indeed, there is a photo of a female wooden 'fetish' statue several feet high named VOLLOLIBEI which has a decent resemblance to Brendan's figure. If Brendan's object was used in the same manner as the one in the book, then the explanation as to how the object was used is there in great detail.
Gaisseau did not leave his hosts on good terms. and of course by publishing his book, he violated the oath of secrecy he gave to gain that knowledge.

More figures from Liberia?

Hi Scott,

Thanks for the tip on the Steiner book. I will look into it, also the THE SACRED FOREST by Gaisseau. Your description of what has been written about this VOLLOLIBEI character sounds intriguing. I’ve already started scouring the net for a copy. Thank you also for your anecdote on the perils of accepting an object at face value. It’s interesting to note the example you used of an object being attributed to Cameroon when it was actually from Liberia.

I have a similar anecdote of my own. I visited a dealer yesterday and bought a beautiful bronze elephant pipe. He swore that is made in Nimba County and that it belonged to the grandfather of the person he acquired it from. However, after some quick research once I got home, it appears to be a Bamun pipe from Cameroon. Now, was he lying when he said it was from Nimba, or is there a possibility that he did in fact get it in Nimba but it actually originates from Cameroon? Or, could it have been made in Nimba in the style of a Bamun pipe? This I may never know, but if it does come from Cameroon, it does raise interesting questions about how and when artwork travels from country to country in Africa.

Not knowing anything about Cameroon or the Bamun I have no idea whether the pipe has any value. I do like it though, which is the main reason I bought it. Please refer to the photos I’ve attached. I'd appreciate the opinion of others as to its origin and purpose.







I also have other pieces to show. Firstly, another brass figure. It stands approximately 10cm high and weighs about a half a pound. This is also apparently from Lofa and has a possible name – COBOWELY (pronounced Cobbo Willy)

The second pieces are some examples of Kru Money I've managed to attain. Unfortunately, I only have photos of a few of my pieces - two small rings. (There are others in storage in NY and will have to wait for another time. One of the pieces is virtually identical to the object referred to as a ‘bracelet’ on the AMNH website.) I am in the process of purchasing more so will keep you up to date.

Photo's to follow...

Hi Folks

Here are the photos of Brendan's Loma piece and his small Kru money.







Thanks, Brendan.

Steve Price

Hello Brendan,
Your photos prompt almost too many comments!
First, you will probably agree it was much easier to locate similar images, and track down basic information about your Bamun brass pipe, than to find information about the Loma figures. And that itself is quite note-worthy.
Cameroon was a significant brass-casting center, especially in the grasslands (see work by Tamara Northern by pulling a biblio at http://www.siris.si.edu/) historically. To this day, their brassworks made for the tourist trade can be found everywhere.

There are two connection between Liberia and Cameroon that come to my mind initially. First, there was the several century tradition of young men from Liberia, especially from the Kru coast of selling their labor to trade-ships which cruised the 'Guinea coast'. Developing on this tradition, Liberian workers were found selling their labor as far away as the Panama canal, and Fernando Po (an island off the Coast of Cameroon). The other connection is that Cameroon was partly colonized by Germany, whereas Liberia's main shop-traders in the 19th century were German and Dutch. So there are a few ways a Cameroonian brass-work could have made its way back to Liberia.
The dime sized Kru rings are quite interesting. I have read that they might be worn on a string around the ankle or suspended from the forehead. This 3-knobbed ring is about 6 inches in diameter.



The exceptional Loma figures pose very important questions which I will try to answer succinctly in a later posting.

Hi Scott,

I have some rather interesting information about Kru money I thought you might appreciate.

I have been fortunate to meet Mr. Stephen Samukai of the U-Notoma Society of Liberia in Monrovia. This is a cultural society set up to help preserve Liberian tribal art and culture. He has a small gallery which only has Liberian artifacts. Some of his pieces are quite amazing and some indeed quite ancient. Anyway, on my last visit to him I had a Kru ring I had just acquired. Upon asking his opinion what it was and what purpose it had he responded with the following.

He correctly identified that it was from the Kru people and that it came from Sinoe County. He referred to it firstly as Nitien which impressed me as no other trader has ever referred to them as that. He then referred to it as a 'gold saver'. Apparently the ring was used to hide gold ! or other valuables in streams close to the owners village. A small sealed pouch was attached to the ring and it was then literally used as an anchor to prevent the valuables being washed away. The large 'balls' on the side of the rings were used to tie the pouch securely to the ring. This might explain the beveled edge of the balls. The pouch was secured in the middle of the ring. This theory makes some sense in regards to the 'Water Spirit' name accredited to them. Stones were arranged on the bank of the stream to serve as a hidden marker to identify the spot where the ring was located. Only the owner or his family knew the meaning or location of the stones.

I found his explanation to be quite credible. What are your thoughts on this theory?

I have attached a photo of the ring I acquired and will post photos of others still available in Monrovia shortly.







Best Regards,

Brendan Sowerby

Hi Scott,

Please find attached photos of Kru money.

Best,

Brendan

It was about 2 and 1/2 years ago when I originally posted a few photos of these rings online on AFRO-DIT (which became TRIBALARTFORUM) hoping to generate some dialogue about them. Of course, we didn't get a bite then and it was lucky for me, because otherwise I might never have spoken to so many scholars (on 3 continents) and reviewed so many old and obscure references--focusing on several vaguely related topics But by now I have examined well over 50 of these rings ( and many hundred other old brass-works) with my own hands, and I have an image base of over 100 different Kru rings--all shapes and sizes.
So I have heard of course of their association with gold. I mentioned briefly in the archived thread Schwab's report that these rings were deemed 'alive', that they could be found 'playing in the forest' and that if caught could lead you to gold. If they caught you on the other hand they would pull you under the water. I have also heard that many of these rings have been cut into by people searching for gold, and indeed many of these rings betray significant damage. Therefore, the description of the Gold-Saver is an important addition to the story, but with a caveat.
Dr. George Harley spent more than three dacades in Liberia from the late 1920 to the early 1960's as a medical missionary. As he was quite sympathetic to African culture, he collected a lot of ethnographic data, and placed numerous objects in many museum collections. He published one classic report titled NOTES ON PORO which featured many of the famous masks attributed to the Dan. But he got some of it wrong. Because of his methods, he accepted at face value information told to him by people selling him some of the masks he collected. It was only through the work of follow-up ethnographies (see Himmelheber and especially Vandenhoute), that it became known that many of the masks Harley said were Poro were in fact not Poro, and that many of the Dan did not practice Poro at all but actively resisted it. I say this to note that hearsay information is important but still must stand some natural scrutiny.
For example, how could the small 2 inch diameter rings be used to anchor gold if that was their purpose? Why use such ornate recognizable objects which would attract the eye to hide valuables. When initially cast, these brass-rings would have exhibited a brilliant glittering surface so they would have been visible in the water unless thrown into deep water. However, Liberia has the highest rainfall averages in all of Africa. This rain creates these notorious currents carrying rocks and debris, causing recurrent flooding that was so bad that the Kru coast was cut off from Monrovia (no roads!) essentially until the 1960's. So if you hide your gold in water, and it rains --it could get swept away easily. Finally, we must also explain why a tool used to anchor valuable in water, resembles jewelry found among adjacent cultures.
The photo below shows a bracelet generally attributed to the Dan/Guere We), people found to the north of the Kru/Grebo. Others have pointed out some general elements of style which are similar. The fluted/lamellar surface on the side of this Dan bracelet is a highly conserved element found on the Kru rings. The rosette motif on this bracelet is also seen again on the end of some knobs of the Kru rings .



Also compare the second Dan bracelet below to Brendan's last Kru ring above. The number of balls and the basic morphology is similar, but the Kru version and it's balls are obviously more massive. The Kru ring probaly weighs about 15 pounds, and the Dan bracelet perhaps 4-5 pounds

I wanted to add specific comment on Brendan's last images.

In addition to damage to the body of the rings and the knobs, one notices significant surface erosion which is qute common (as is significant variability in casting quality); similar to that seen on examples pictured in the book ROCK OF THE ANCESTORS, and a few other publications. The worn out surface of these rings occasionally resembles the rugged bleached out surface of old Celtic and Roman metal works, and occasionally resembles the 'archaelogical patina' seen on some buried Djenne pieces. (See the first bracelet in Brendan's thread above).
They weathered this way because they were often buried (hidden) in water-logged acidic soil (described in the literature), or kept in pots of water when not in use, and occasionally thrown into the streams before being retrieved during divination. They have had extended contact with water, much more so than most African metal works. This, in addition to contact with sacrificail material (palm-oil/rice/blood etc). Lastly, they have also been described as kept in a hut in storage above the fire, causing some to gain a smoked/glazed appearance.
The half-ring in the 3rd photo may be a Kru ring -see two examples below--or simply part of a symmetric anklet. This half-ring exhibits very fine casting quality despite it's wear and tear. Its pock-marked erosion is reminiscent of the patina of the famous figure of Tada which was found by villagers who washed it in the Niger for generations.







Brendan's last ring (brownish-orange anklet) bothers me the most since I have seen 4 just like it (size and shape)-one from a collection in the Netherlands. It's generally tough to find even 2 which look the same, so for that reason , and because compared to all of the rest that I have seen they exhibit the least wear and tear, and exhibit the oddest patina, and obviously have been made by the same hand-- they stand alone. Two are pictured below, I do not have permission to show the 4th.