Or Des Chefs (L’)

Le Carre Hermes Paris >> Automne - Hiver 1997 / 98

Chieftain's Gold

For a chief honour must maintain itself as such, scorning the risks which accompany his rank. The brilliance of his ornamentation, a reflection of his supremacy, marks him out for enemy blows and jealous conspiracies. Necklaces, bracelets, earrings: all these precious metals are not, for the Ghanaian or Cameroonian warrior, a display of pointless ostentation, but proof rather of a lion's heart. A sober attire always hints at camouflage, a sign of staid cowardice.