The completed interior trap (tongue, exa woade in Ewe) made of bamboo that will be inserted into the outer body of the basketry fish trap. Once inserted and secured, the tongue allows fish to enter but blocks their exit from the trap. A twisted vine lies on the ground in front of the inner trap. This is the first step in processing the vine into rope like that used to weave the trap. A bale of industrially made blue fishing net sits in the background. Akanyakrom, 26 July, 2022.
Dzobo Rubben, an Ewe fisherman, holds a vine that has been twisted in preparation for rope making. The vine will be set aside to dry for several days before being processed by pounding with a wooden mallet. The rope will be used in fish trap making. Bamboo sticks that will be used for the body of the basketry fish trap can be seen lying on the ground in the background. Akanyakrom, 18 July, 2022.
Ewe fisherman Dzobo Sebastian uses rope made from a vine to secure bamboo sticks as he weaves a basketry fish trap. He has woven a first row, now secured by pegs, and is moving in the opposite direction as he weaves a second row. He uses his feet to secure the bamboo sticks as he twists the cord between sticks. Behind him is a wooden mallet used to process the cordage. A large blue industrially made fish net is stretched out behind him. Akanyakrom, 21 July, 2022.
Rights:
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial
Publisher:
University of Victoria Libraries
Location(s) Facet:
Akanyakrom (resettled)
Subjects:
Men's work
Subjects Facet:
Bamboo; Cordage; Fish traps; Handicrafts; Baskets; Ewe (African people)
Ewe fisherman Dzobo Rubben weaves the top section of a basketry fish trap made of bamboo and vine cordage, securing the trap with his feet as he works. He uses cordage to bundle bamboo sticks and narrow the trap toward its top. In lower rows, individual bamboo sticks are separated by two twists of rope. As the weaver nears the top, he reduces the twist between sticks to one, narrowing their spacing. In the next row he bundles two sticks separated by one twist. He then bundles four, then eight, creating a cone-shaped trap. Akanyakrom, 23 July, 2022.
Rights:
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial
Publisher:
University of Victoria Libraries
Location(s) Facet:
Akanyakrom (resettled);8.246709, -2.244840
Subjects:
Men's work
Subjects Facet:
Bamboo; Cordage; Fish traps; Handicrafts; Baskets; Ewe (African people)
Skilled craftsmen at the Centre for National Culture in Kumasi, Ghana demonstrate techniques of lost wax casting by making souvenir items like the brass bottle opener pictured here (bottom left). To the right (and top left) is a discarded lost-wax-casting mold that has been broken open to remove the finished objects. This mold produced two bottle openers. The inside of the mold shows the impressions left by the original wax models when they were encased in ashy clay (black matrix). Visbile toward the base of the casting mold are impressions of the tubes, out of which the melted wax drained and through which the molten brass was poured to fill the mold. Brass bottle opener height: 9 cm. Kumasi, Ghana. 4 July 2009.
