Ma'aunin gwal na Akan
Ma'aunin gwal na Akan (wanda aka fi sani da mrammou) ma'aunin nauyi ne da aka yi da tagulla da al'ummar Akan na Afirka ta Yamma ke amfani da su azaman tsarin aunawa, musamman don tsarin wei da tsarin kasuwanci na gaskiya da juna. Matsayin mutum ya ƙaru sosai idan ya mallaki cikakkiyar ma'aunin nauyi. Cikakkun ƙananan ma'auni sun kasance kyauta ga sababbin maza da suka yi aure. Wannan ya ba da tabbacin cewa zai sami damar shiga kasuwancin ciniki cikin girmamawa da nasara.

Bayan aikace-aikacen su na yau da kullun, ma'aunin nauyi kaɗan ne na abubuwan al'adun Yammacin Afirka kamar alamomin adinkra, tsirrai, dabbobi da mutane.

Dating da nauyi 
Nazari mai salo na ma'aunin zinare na iya ba da kwanan wata dangi cikin manyan lokuta biyu na farkon da kuma ƙarshen lokaci. Ana tsammanin zamanin farko ya kasance daga kimanin 1400-1720 AD, tare da wasu jeri tare da ƙarshen zamani, 1700-1900 AD. Akwai bambanci tsakanin lokutan Farko da Marigayi. Ma'aunin Geometric su ne mafi tsufa nau'i, tun daga 1400 AD zuwa gaba yayin da ma'aunin alama, waɗanda aka yi su cikin siffar mutane, dabbobi, gini da sauransu, sun fara bayyana a shekara ta 1600 AD.

Dating na Radiocarbon, daidaitacciyar hanya kuma madaidaiciyar hanya a fannoni da yawa, ba za a iya amfani da su don kwanan wata ma'aunin nauyi ba, saboda abu ne na inorganic. Tushen abubuwan da ba a iya amfani da su ba, kamar karafa, sun samo asali tun kafin kera kayan tarihi. Tagulla da zinc da ake amfani da su don yin gawa sun girmi kayan aikin da kansa. Nazarin kan inganci ko asalin ƙarfen ƙarfe a cikin tagulla ba su da amfani sosai saboda faɗin rarrabawa da sake sarrafa kayan.

Yin nazarin asalin al'adun nauyi ko yanayin yanayin nauyi shine ingantacciyar hanyar saduwa da ma'aunin nauyi. Rubuce-rubucen tarihi da ke tare da nauyin da ke bayyana mutanen da yake nasu, da kuma nazarin ma'auni da na baka da na fasaha na al'ummomin makwabta ya kamata su kasance wani bangare na nazarin tushe da tabbatar da ma'aunin nauyi.

Ma'anar bayan nauyi 
Malamai suna amfani da ma'auni, da al'adun baka da ke bayan ma'auni, don fahimtar al'amuran al'adun Akan waɗanda in ba haka ba za a iya rasa su. Ma'aunin nauyi yana wakiltar labarai, kacici-kacici, da ka'idojin ɗabi'a waɗanda suka taimaka ja-gorar mutanen Akan ta hanyoyin rayuwarsu. Babban al'adun Akan shine damuwa ga daidaito da adalci; yana da wadata a tarihin baka akan wannan batu. Yawancin ma'auni suna wakiltar manyan labarai da sanannun labarai. Ma'aunin nauyi wani bangare ne na ƙarfafa al'adun Akan, yana bayyana ƙa'idodin ɗabi'a, imani, da ƙima a cikin matsakaici wanda mutane da yawa suka haɗa.

Anthony Appiah ya bayyana yadda Mahaifiyarsa da ke karbar gwala-gwalai ta ziyarci musulman Hausawa ‘yan kasuwa daga arewa. Nauyin zinariya da suka kawo, “waɗanda ba su da wani amfani a sayar da su, yanzu takarda da tsabar kuɗi sun maye gurbin kurar zinariya a matsayin kuɗi. Kuma da ta tattara su, ta ƙara jin labarin tarihin da ke tare da su; Karin magana da kowane ma'aunin gwal na alama ya fitar; tatsuniyoyi, Ananseasem, waɗanda karin magana suka yi. Appiah kuma ya ji waɗannan labaran Ananseasem, Anansi, daga mahaifinsa, kuma ya rubuta: “Tsakanin labaransa da saƙon al’adu da suka zo da ma’aunin zinariya, mun tattara irin ma’anar al’adar al’ada da ta fito daga girma a cikinta. A gare mu ba al'adar Asante ba ce amma aikin gidan yanar gizon rayuwarmu."

Akwai ma'auni da yawa tsakanin ma'aunin gwal na Akan da hatimin da aka yi amfani da su a Harappa. Dukansu kayayyakin tarihi sun daidaita tare da tabbatar da kasuwancin yanki da na gida a tsakanin mutane, yayin da suka sami ƙarin ma'ana fiye da amfaninsu.Garkuwa alamu ne na jarumtaka, juriya, ko aikin ɗaukaka, ko da yake ba lallai ba ne a cikin yaƙi. Takobi masu kaifi biyu suna wakiltar ƙa'idar haɗin gwiwa tsakanin mace da namiji, maimakon nuna tashin hankali ko mulki tare da tsoro. Sunan ma'aunin nauyi yana da ban mamaki, saboda cikakken jerin ma'aunin Akan yana da ƙima sama da sittin, kuma kowane saiti yana da sunan gida wanda ya bambanta a yanki. Akwai, daga binciken da Garrard ya yi, jerin sunayen nauyi goma sha biyu daga Ghana da Ivory Coast.

Tarin nauyi 
Wasu sun kiyasta cewa akwai ma'aunin zinare miliyan 3 da ke wanzuwa. Jami'ar Simon Fraser tana da ƙaramin tarin tarin yawa, wanda ya ƙunshi galibin nau'ikan nau'ikan nau'ikan lissafi, tare da adadin ma'aunin ma'auni na ɗan adam. Dukansu nau'ikan suna hoto a nan kuma sun fito ne daga gidan kayan tarihi na SFU na Archaeology da Ethnography. Yawancin manyan gidajen tarihi na Amurka da Turai suna da tarin ma'aunin zinare masu yawa. Gidan tarihi na kasa na Ghana, da Musée des Civilizations de Cote d'Ivoire a Abidjan, Derby Museum da kuma kananan gidajen tarihi a Mali duk suna da tarin ma'aunin nauyi tare da jeri na dabino. Tarin masu zaman kansu sun tattara nau'ikan nau'ikan ma'auni kuma.

Kera ma'aunin nauyi 
A da, kowane nauyi ana sassaƙa shi da kyau, sannan a jefar da shi ta amfani da tsohuwar dabarar kakin zuma da aka rasa. Yayin da al'adun Akan suka rabu da yin amfani da zinare a matsayin tushen tattalin arzikinsu, ma'aunin nauyi ya rasa amfanin yau da kullum na al'adu da kuma wasu mahimmancin su. Shahararsu da masu yawon bude ido ya haifar da kasuwa da mazauna yankin ke cika da ma'aunin nauyi. Wadannan haifuwar zamani na ma'aunin nauyi sun zama masu yawon bude ido. Maimakon siffofi masu sauƙi amma na fasaha na ma'aunin anthropomorphic ko kuma tsabta, layi mai laushi na ma'aunin geomorphic, ma'auni na zamani ba su da kyau kuma suna kallon tarin yawa. Ƙarfin al'adar baka na Akan ba a haɗa shi a cikin ƙirƙirar ma'auni ba; duk da haka, wannan ba ze rage musu farin jini ba.

Ƙwarewar da ke tattare da yin ma'aunin nauyi ta yi yawa; saboda yawancin ma'aunin nauyi bai wuce 2½ oza ba kuma an auna daidai adadinsu da kyau. Sun kasance ma'aunin ma'auni da za a yi amfani da su a kasuwanci, kuma dole ne su kasance daidai. Maƙerin zinare, ko adwumfo, zai yi gyare-gyare idan simintin ya yi yawa ko kaɗan. Ko da mafi kyawun ma'aunin ma'auni na alama an cire gaɓoɓi da ƙahoni, ko gefuna da aka shigar da su har sai sun haɗu da mafi kusancin nauyi daidai. Nauyin da bai isa ya yi nauyi ba zai sami ƙananan zoben gubar ko beads ɗin gilashi a haɗe don kawo nauyin zuwa daidaitattun da ake so. Akwai ma'aunin nauyi da yawa ba tare da gyare-gyare ba, yana magana da gwanintar maƙeran zinariya. Yawancin ma'auni sun kasance a cikin 3% na ƙimar su; wannan bambance-bambancen yayi kama da na ma'aunin gida na Turai daga lokaci guda

Ma'aunin nauyi na farko yana nuna ƙarfin hali, amma mai sauƙi, ƙirar fasaha. Daga baya ma'aunin nauyi ya haɓaka zuwa kyawawan ayyukan fasaha tare da cikakkun bayanai. Duk da haka, a cikin shekarun 1890 (Late Period) ingancin zane da kayan aiki ya kasance marasa kyau sosai, kuma watsi da ma'aunin nauyi ya biyo baya da sauri.

Tim Garrard (Afrilu 28, 1943 - Mayu 17, 2007) yayi nazarin al'adun gwal na Akan. Binciken nasa ya ta'allaka ne akan ma'aunin zinare da ma'anar al'adu da manufofinsu. Ya kuma kasance mai sha'awar cinikin zinari, ƙirƙirar ma'aunin nauyi, da yadda hanyoyin sadarwar Akan ke aiki tare da sauran hanyoyin sadarwa. Ayyukansa da waɗanda ke amfani da aikinsa a matsayin tushe suna ba da labari sosai game da al'adun Akan da yawa.

Ma'aunin nauyi da aka kwatanta a nan wani ɓangare ne na tarin a gidan kayan gargajiya na SFU. An ba da gudummawa ga gidan kayan gargajiya a ƙarshen 1970s, suna cikin tarin tarin al'adun Afirka.

Manazarta 

 ^  Danguah, J. B. 1952 "The Culture of Akan". Africa: Journal of the International African Institute, 22(4): 360-66.
 ^  Garrard, T. F. 1972 "Studies in Akan Goldweights" (1), in Transactions of the Historical Society of Ghana. 13(1): 1-20.
 ^  Garrard, T. F. 1972b "Studies in Akan Goldweights (2): The Weight Standards," in Transactions of the Historical Society of Ghana, vol. 13, n.  2, pp. 149–62.
 ^  Garrard, T. F. 1972c "Studies in Akan Goldweights (3): The Weight Names," in Transactions of the Historical Society of Ghana, vol. 14, n. 1, pp. 1–16.
 ^  Garrard, T. F. 1972d "Studies in Akan Goldweights (4): The Dating of Akan Goldweights," in Transactions of the Historical Society of Ghana, vol. 14, n. 2 (December 1973), pp. 1979 "Akan Metal Arts".  African Arts, 13(1): 36-43, 100.
 ^  Garrard, T. F. 1982a "Akan Weights and the Gold Trade". The International Journal of African Historical Studies, 15(3): 568-70.