Wakemia (ceremonial spoon)

The embodiment of generosity.

As a testament to her compassion, a particularly self-sacrificing woman might have a spoon like this commissioned for her by her community. Both Dan and Wè communities honored women who held the distinction of providing not only for their households, but also for unexpected visitors, traveling musicians, and seasonal farm workers. The emblem of a woman’s 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.