In the region we now know as Ghana, gold has been found in alluvial sands and shallow mines for many centuries. During the Roman period gold-hungry traders looked south of the Sarah Desert for sources of gold and found it in Ghana. In the early Middle Ages Islamic merchants traded for gold with the local cultural group of people known as the Akan. By the fifteenth century European traders discovered this source of gold, and referred to the region as the Gold Coast.

The Akan people developed their own trading practices, particularly unique weights that they used to measure gold dust found in the region. The weights are small cast images of animals, plants, people, and representations of everyday objects used by the Akan. They represent many features of the Akan culture in miniature form.

This exhibition features a number of these fascinating Akan weights and examines the similarities and differences between them and other weights and balances used in Europe and Asia.

The Nickle Arts Museum and the Canadian Museum of Making have worked together to produce this exhibition that will show at The Nickle Arts Museum from October 26, 2007 until May 21, 2010.