For a change, a request for help, to identify the 'hammock' which accompanied the boys sent to princess Carolina.
So far, this blog has addressed the issue
of children sent from Ghana to Europe and the question if we could give Presto
a place among the identified children, being procured, or serving in the castle
of St. George d'Elmina.
However, there is something else to look
for. After all, we are working with the hypothesis that Presto and Fortuin were
the boys given as a gift to the Princess Carolina of Orange-Nassau in 1748.
That gift comprised of the two boys, and a 'costly' or 'richly adorned' hammock.'
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| Newspaper clipping mentioning 'een kostbare hangmat uit dat Weereld-deel;' 'a costly hammock from that Continent' |
What was this 'hammock' made of, what did
it look like, and what was its function? We soon came to the conclusion that
what was described as a 'hammock' in the Dutch newspaper, must have been a
so-called palanquin, a contraption in which Ghanaian Akan chiefs were and are
transported during festivals. Nowadays the palanquin is usually constructed
from a hollowed piece of wood, shaped in the form of a bed, with cushions to
rest on, and covered with high-quality cloth. On the cloth there can be adornments symbolically depicting the identity of the chief and his personal or family history.
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| Chief of Elmina in palanquin at Bakatue Festival 2016. Photo by (c) Michel R. Doortmont |
In Elmina we asked about the palanquin in
history. My long-standing research assistant and fixer, Frank Kwesi Tweneboa-Kodua,
came with a valuable suggestion. Frank noted that when he was a child, in the 1970s, a
different type of palanquin was still quite common.
It consisted of two bamboo sticks, with
in-between a plaited fibre mat. On both ends, two shorter bamboo sticks, secured
with rope or fibre, allowed for it to be carried by four persons.
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| Possible form of the hammock / palanquin given to Princess Carolina. Drawing by (c) Michel R. Doortmont |
The sketch gives an impression of what it could
have looked like. So far, we have not found any real-life examples of this type
of palanquin, or any drawings, for that matter. So we ask the question here, to fellow researchers and local
parties: do you know of this type of palanquin / hammock, as means of transport
for Akan chiefs? If so, leave your comments below.
Additionally: How does one 'adorn' a
palanquin of this type, or what makes it 'costly'? Were there items (beads, brass bells or other objects, etc.)
attached to it? Was it painted or carved?
It seems this type needs to be carried by
four persons, so would one not expect four boys to accompany the hammock for
the princess? Or is there a type that can be carried by two people too?
We are keenly awaiting your suggestions.
