original ornaments

Nine adinkra symbols that convey West Africa's collective wisdom adorn the lid of this intriguing game of oware. It opens to reveal the playing field of twelve depressions. Oware is a game of skill and strategy designed for two players, challenging mental agility and alertness. The objective can be briefly described as "counting and capturing beads" and there are no chance factors involved. A player's strategy entirely depends upon reasoning and counting abilities. Because of this, aware has been used successfully throughout Africa for teaching children basic numbers and arithmetic.

Oware is one of the oldest games in the world. The earliest records describing the game were found in Arab religious texts dating to the Middle Ages, suggesting the game originated in the Middle East and spread from there to Africa, then to Asia with Arab traders, and to the Caribbean around 1640 via the African slave trade. Other experts place its origins in Central Africa; the Masai people state that oware was invented by Sindillo, the son of the first man, Maitoumbe, and was originally called geshe.

In Arab countries, the most common name for this game is mancala, an Arabic word meaning "to move." In some West African countries the depressions in the board are referred to as warri or wwari, which means "houses," thus the name owari. In Nigeria it is known as adi, which is also the name of the seeds used to play it; and in South Africa it is called ohoro. With different and exotic names such as congklak, dakon, aggalacang, and nogarata, it has also been played in Asia long before the Portuguese rounded the southern tip of Africa.

Today, oware represents the diversity of Africa, as some version of it is played in nearly every country on the continent. Legend relates that Shyaam aMbul aNgoong, founder of the Kuba kingdom of Central Africa, taught the game to his people to encourage foresight and calculation.

The set includes 42 beads and a detailed playing manual.

Rays of sun adorn this asomdwoe mask in an original design by Abdul Aziz Mohamadu. Meaning "peace" in the Akan language, the African rubber wood mask is carved by hand featuring ornate aluminum on the nose. Dazzling beadwork in red, black, green, white, yellow and blue complement the painted details of this wonderful mask.

This fascinating mask is the original design of Awudu Saaed from Ghana. The elongated visage has its mouth open and eyebrows arched, as if in surprise. Carved by hand from rubberwood, the mask features a long beard made of jute. The artisan names his creation Abajo, meaning "come and dance" in the Ga tongue.

The "Kekewa" mask portrays the original artistry of Ghana's Ali Mohammed. Meaning "beauty" in the Hausa language, the sese wood mask is carved by hand and painted brown with yellow, red, white, green and black details. Ornately embossed aluminum plates adorn the forehead and cheeks.

By Abdul Aziz Mohamadu, this intriguing African mask depicts a serious personage with a long, narrow face. Ritual scarification ornaments his cheeks and an elephant parades across the forehead. Carved of sese wood and painted by hand, the mask is an original design by the talented Ghanaian artisan.

Daniel Quarcoo designs an original mask that embodies the concept of dzekpi or "beauty," in the language of Ghana's Ewe people. Predominately black, the mask's oval shape narrows at the bottom to form a chin. Aluminum plates, masterfully embossed by hand, adorn the cheeks and forehead. Quarcoo finishes this stunning mask with painted details.

Artist Robert Ayine Anaba of Ghana specializes in weaving and has handcrafted this unique fan that incorporates a fertility doll as its handle. The fan is woven from black and cream-colored raffia and the doll is carved by hand from sese wood. His original design makes a beautiful wall decoration and, as an added benefit, may be used to wave a cool breeze your way on a hot summer day.

Hand-embossed brass gleams on a colorful African mask by Ralph Kwasi Agudze. Red and green embellish the handsome face and the personage opens his mouth as if to pray. An original design, the mask is named Atorna Wo, which means "God will respond" in the Ewe language.

"The warm colors of this mask reflect beauty and grace of African women," says Kennedy K. Aseidu of his original design. He carves the long sese wood mask by hand featuring exquisite painted details.

Crafted by hand, this elegant mask is the work of Winfred Korley. An original design from his own imagination, the mask is named Hewale, a Ga word, which means "strength." Three strands of recycled glass beads adorn the sleek forehead.

Francis Agbete finds inspiration in the wisdom and artistry of the Adinkra symbols of the Ashanti people. Originally credited to Nana Kofi Adinkra, these legendary symbols revolve around several themes with a rich proverbial content. For the Asante people, proverbs are regarded as a mark of wisdom. Hand-carved of sese wood by Agbete, the symbols on this long wall adornment include, starting at the top: Mmusuyidee or "that which removes ill luck," which stands for good fortune and sanctity followed by the most widely known symbol, Gye Nyame, hailing God's supremacy. Next is Sankofa, which encourages to learn from the past, Nkontim or queen’s servant, symbolizing loyalty and service, and the fifth is Akofena, the sword of war, represents courage and valor.

Includes galvanized steel hooks for hanging.

Translated from the Ghanaian Ga language to "cool heart" in English, the hand-carved Twibleoo wood mask is the original design of Abdulai Osman Adam. Artisans use centuries-old techniques to craft the mask from native sese wood, them embellish it with aluminum plate and acrylic paint.