Adioukrou Queen Mother

Wearing gold turtle and crocodile talismans in her hair, the Queen Mother of the neighboring kingdom of Adioukrou displays her status. Magnificently bedecked in gold jewelry, she exhibits her husband’s substantial authority and worth. This ostentatious display is known as the coming-of-wealth ritual and publicly declares that a man has reached an impressive stage in the accumulation of riches. Sprinkled on her face is gold dust, once the main currency of all Akan peoples.