The Regions: West Africa

The following objects originated in West Africa:

Many powerful kingdoms existed in West Africa, but a large number of village groups survived alongside these kingdoms, and continue today.

Major states centred on large cities, for example Benin, the Yoruba states, or the Asante confederacy. Yoruba civilisation began with the growth of the city of Ife about 1000 years ago. Yoruba states now encompass over twenty million people in south-west Nigeria and neighbouring countries. About 500 years ago Oyo became the dominant Yoruba state. This dominance was increasingly challenged about 200 years ago, resulting in civil wars between many Yoruba groups. New settlements were established, such as Abeokuta and Ibadan, which rapidly grew into bustling state capitals.

Trade was the mainstay of all communities, large and small. Gold and kolanut, a mild narcotic, were traded between the forest area of what is now Ghana and the north, controlled by the Asante confederacy, in exchange for weapons, cloth and brassware. From the 16th century onwards European nations brought in brass, iron and other exotic goods via the coast for ivory, gold and increasingly slaves.

Religious conversion followed the trade routes, Islam across the Sahara, later Christianity by sea. West African communities tolerated both, but not to the exclusion of pre-existing religious beliefs.

Read about Townsend who collected these artefacts

To find out more about the Yoruba visit the MOLLi Yoruba website. Also see the MOLLi Bosence website to see more West African textiles.

Visit the Compass site at the British Museum and follow the 'Tours' link to the 'African Galleries' page for more examples of African objects.

The Collection of African Artefacts site provides a wealth of photographs.