Whimsical giraffe and elephant bird cages made by Ghana artist in 1974

This is a pair of decorative bird cages in the form of a giraffe and an elephant made by a retired blacksmith, Kwasi Oden from Ghana in 1974. These were purchased that year in the Horchow Collection interior design shop in San Francisco. These were entirely handmade from palm pith (very lightweight). The giraffe is 36" long, 8.5" wide and 24" high. The elephant is 41" long, 14" wide and 16" high. There was an article in the San Francisco Chronicle in 1974 about this. I have included an image of the article in the gallery. According to another 1975 article titled Animal Crafters in Ghana these cages are used to hold small birds until enough have been accumulated for a meal. Normally, these palm pith cages were simple rectangular in shape. However, Kwasi Oden began to make some cages in the shape of native animals, such as bush pigs, scorpions, crocodiles, giraffe, elephant, etc. These cages are pieces of art.

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GALLERY (Click any image to see larger size)