This is a very large type of brass manilla, made in Africa for use as a form of wealth and in funeral ceremonies. Manillas became a form of currency in West Africa from the 16th century to the 1930s, and Europeans traded them for slaves. They were manufactured in European foundries, based on African designs, or the metal exported was used for casting in Africa itself. Decorative manillas were worn as ornamentation.
© Bristol Museums, Galleries & Archives
Accession reference: Bristol Museums, Galleries & Archives, Ea12453
Themes
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Africa before Transatlantic Enslavement
The history of Africa and African people does not begin nor end with transatlantic slavery. Understand what Africa was like and what the continent lost as a result of the trade.
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Trade and Commerce
Understand how the demand for luxury goods and the Industrial Revolution fuelled the transatlantic slave trade, and how the British…
Background Reading
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The Lost Libraries Of Timbuktu
Until recently, many commentators on Africa claimed that African societies had no tradition of writing. With the rediscovery of ancient manuscript collections, some dating back to the 8th century AD, this perception is changing.
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Introduction To Various African Kingdoms