Gan ceremonial bracelet from Burkina Faso. Old piece over 50 years old. Delivered on base.
Close to the Lobi people, the GAN are a discreet ethnic group from the southwest of Burkina Faso whose capital is OBIRE. They practice a cult of secrecy and everything is systematically buried, which poses some problems for research into their creations. They crystallize above all in the casting of small objects mainly in copper and bronze but also a little brass. Their objects take the form of rings, pendants, bracelets, amulets, torques and funeral bells. For the record, the bells ring during the king's agony and fall silent when he dies...
These people are divided between 4 clans bearing animal names found in GAN creations: Farma (the crocodile), Suwan (the python), Thaarma (the monkey), and Khama (the turtledove)
The object that interests me, the Torfan, is a bronze snake measuring 30 centimeters and reaching 1.40 m. In general it has 2 to 10 heads but in rarer cases it is represented with a single head, the version of the snake before its transformation.
We also find this multi-headed snake in the form of a bracelet called “debira”. They are used to ward off dangers and harmful occult actions...
The two-headed Torfan are rather reserved for divination, while the others are brought out for rites linked to medicine, the protection of the village or to help obtain good harvests.
In the KAASA language, “TORFA” means “Know-How”, therefore reserved for an elite of connoisseurs. The more heads the Torfan has, the more powerful it is. Therefore, the more difficult it is to control it and thus reserved for experienced people. Only old people, who have acquired enough maturity, can master the power of the Torfan.
The Gan have few blacksmiths and for smelting they had to call on a traveling people specialized in the manufacture of jewelry and forging objects: The Lohron. We assume a Mande origin. They had a large original clientele and this poses a problem regarding the styles of the objects. Their itinerancy resulted in a multitude of influences.
The Torfan snake first appeared in honey. A villager was surprised to discover this animal in this nectar and stabbed it, a bad reflex... Blood was unfortunately shed and this man was "struck by lightning"... He fell ill and consulted the Oracles. The soothsayer advised him to cast this snake in metal as a protection fetish.
This is how the subject of Torfan appeared in GAN culture and this explains its role in rites linked to medicine and in the fight against the evil one...
One of the powers of the Torfan that we know is the ability to bring out the “bad” in people. The healer, who uses the Torfan to heal, must talk a lot with his patient, to bring out the evil in him, his unhealthy and nasty ideas. It heals the mind before the body…
To be able to be treated, trust must be established between the two people before the magic happens...