Existing comment:
Benevolent.
The embodiment of generosity.
Potentially functional, this spoon was also a personal monument to a woman celebrated in her community for her capacity for openness and philanthropy. Both Dan and Wè communities honored women who held the distinction of providing not only for her own household, but also for unexpected visitors, traveling musicians, and seasonal farm workers. The emblem of her achievement became a specially commissioned spoon that may have also served as a generalized portrait of the owner. Such spoons were trophies of a woman's capacity, quite literally, to bring her community together. |