TERA Gallery - African Art and Antiquities

"Altering The Way You View The World Of Art"
Type of Object:
    Yoruba Dance Rattle
    20th c.

    This set of dance rattles were worn during traditional
    ceremonies.  The metal coins used makes these rattles
    most interesting.   They are a copper-nickel 1/10, 1/2 or 1
    Penny coin from British West Africa during the reign of King
    George VI (1936-52), and was used in trade that  covered
    Gambia, Sierra Leone, Ghana, Nigeria in western Africa.

    There is a Star of David on the back. The star is a symbol of
    the influence of the Igbo Jews who fled to West Africa after
    the destruction of the first and second temples in Jerusalem.
    The Igbo Jews had a significant cultural influence on the
    local African people. The star was included on the coin at
    the request of the the Aro-Igbo slave traders who crafted a
    slave trade agreement with the British. Hence the Jewish
    star on the back and the British crown on the front.

Ethnic Group:


Country of Origin:  
    Great Britain

Material:   

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