Adinkra symbols explained

Adinkra are symbols from Ghana that represent concepts or aphorisms. Adinkra are used extensively in fabrics, logos and pottery. They are incorporated into walls and other architectural features. Adinkra symbols appear on some traditional Akan goldweights. The symbols are also carved on stools for domestic and ritual use. Tourism has led to new departures in the use of symbols in items such as T-shirts and jewellery.

The symbols have a decorative function but also represent objects that encapsulate evocative messages conveying traditional wisdom, aspects of life, or the environment. There are many symbols with distinct meanings, often linked with proverbs. In the words of Kwame Anthony Appiah, they were one of the means for "supporting the transmission of a complex and nuanced body of practice and belief".[1]

History

Adinkra symbols were originally created by the Bono people of Gyaman. The Gyaman king, Nana Kwadwo Agyemang Adinkra, originally created or designed these symbols, naming it after himself. The Adinkra symbols were largely used on pottery, stools etc. by the people of Bono. Adinkra cloth was worn by the king of Gyaman, and its usage spread from Bono Gyaman to Asante and other Akan kingdoms following its defeat. It is said that the guild designers who designed this cloth for the Kings were forced to teach the Asantes the craft. Gyaman king Nana Kwadwo Agyemang Adinkra's first son, Apau, who was said to be well versed in the Adinkra craft, was forced to teach more about Adinkra cloths. Oral accounts have attested to the fact that Adinkra Apau taught the process to a man named Kwaku Dwaku in a town near Kumasi.[2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] Over time, all Akan people including the Fante, Akuapem and Akyem all made Adinkra symbols a major part of their culture, as they all originated from the ancient Bono Kingdom.

The oldest surviving adinkra cloth was made in 1817. The cloth features 15 stamped symbols, including nsroma (stars), dono ntoasuo (double Dono drums), and diamonds. The patterns were printed using carved calabash stamps and a vegetable-based dye. It has resided in the British Museum since 1818, when it was donated by Thomas E. Bowdich.[8] [9] [10] The next oldest piece of adinkra textile was sent in 1825 from the Elmina Castle to the royal cabinet of curiosities in The Hague, in response to an assignment from Major Friedrich Last, who was appointed temporary Commander of Dutch Gold Coast. He had the cloth commissioned from the Fante paramount chief of Elmina for William I of the Netherlands, which would explain why the coat of arms of the Netherlands is in the centre. The other motifs are typical of the older adinkras. It is now on display in the National Museum of Ethnology in Leiden.[11]

In November 2020, a school board in York, Pennsylvania, banned "a children's coloring book that featured African Adrinkra [''sic''] symbols found in fabrics, logos and pottery."[12] The decision was subsequently overturned.[13]

Adinkra cloth

In Akan (Twi), the term adinkra refers to not symbols, but a particular type of cloth.[14] [15] Adinkra cloths were traditionally only worn by royalty and spiritual leaders for funerals and other very special occasions. In the past they were hand-printed on undyed, red, dark brown or black hand-woven natural cotton fabric depending on the occasion and the wearer's role; nowadays they are frequently mass-produced on brighter coloured fabrics.[16]

The present centre of traditional production of adinkra cloth is from Ghana, Ntɔnso, 20 km northwest of Kumasi and in Ivory Coast.[17] Dark Adinkra aduro pigment for the stamping is made there, by soaking, pulverizing, and boiling the inner bark and roots of the badie tree (Bridelia ferruginea)[18] in water over a wood fire. Once the dark colour is released, the mixture is strained, and then boiled for several more hours until it thickens. The stamps are carved out of the bottom of a calabash piece. They measure between five and eight centimetres square. They have a handle on the back, and the stamp itself is slightly curved so that the dye can be put on with a rocking motion.

Adinkra Alphabet

Adinkra Alphabet is a phonetic writing system derived from Adinkra symbols. The Adinkra Alphabet, invented by Charles Korankye in 2015, and expanded and refined over the next several years to accommodate various languages spoken in Ghana and Ivory Coast such as Akan, Dagbani, Ewe and Ga- a process that culminated with the creation of a standardized font in 2020.

Sample of symbols listed

Recorded sample of 53 adinkra symbols and their meanings

List of symbols and Information!Number!Symbol Name!Literal Meaning!Further Details!Related Symbols
1Abana two-storied house, a castlethis design was formerly worn by the King of Gyaman alone
4Adinkira 'henethe Adinkira king'chief' of all these Adinkira designs
8Agyindawuruthe agyin tree's gongthe juice of a tree of that name is sometimes squeezed into a gong and is said to make the sound pleasing to the spirits
Akaman edible plant, possibly a yam
9Akobenthe war-horn
12Akoko nan tia 'ba, na nkum 'baA hen treads upon chickens but does not kill them
13Akomaa heart, with a cross in the centre
[None listed]No. 13
14AKOMA NTOSOthe joined hearts
18Ayathe fernthe word also means 'I am not afraid of you', 'I am independent of you' and the wearer may imply this by wearing it
20BI NKA BIno one should bite the other
23DAME-DAMEname of a board gamesymbol of intelligence and ingenuity
25Donothe dono drum
26Dono ntoasuothe double dono drums
27Duafethe wooden comb
28Dwenini abenthe ram's horns
30Epahandcuffs
34Fihankrathe circular house
35Se die fofoo pe, ne se gyinantwi abo bediewhat the yellow-flowered fofoo plant wants is that the gyinantwi seeds should turn blackA Bono saying. One of the cotton cloth designs bears the same name. The fofoo, the botanical name of which is Bidens pilosa, has a small yellow flower, which, when it drops its petals, turns into a black spiky seed. Said of a jealous person. According to Ayensu (1978), the gyinantwi also refers to Bidens pilosa.[19]
37Funtunfunefu DenkyemfunefuSiamese crocodilesThey share one stomach yet they fight over food
38Gyawu Atikothe back of Gyawu's headGyawu was a sub-chief of Gyaman who at the Adae Kesse ceremony is said to have had his hair shaved in this fashion
39Gye Nyame'Except God' or 'Only God'
41Hye wo nhyeHe who would burn you be not burned
44Kojo Biaden
47Papani amma yenhu KramoThe (large number of) people who do good prevents us knowing who really are Mohammedansas adherents of Islam are enjoined to do good works in the community, and increasing numbers of non-Muslims are also doing so, we can no longer use that criterion to distinguish those Muslims living amongst us
49Kuntinkantanbent and spread outkuntinkantan is used in the sense of 'do not boast, do not be arrogant'
50[None Listed]copied from Europeans
Non listedKwatakye atikoat the back of Kwatakye's headKwatakye was a war captain of one of the Gyaman kings; at the Adae Kesse ceremony he is said to have cut his hair after this fashion
Non listedMmrafo ani asethe keloids on a Hausa man
55Mmra Kradothe Hausa man's lock
56Musuyidiesomething to remove evila cloth with this design stamped upon it lay beside the sleeping couch of the King of Gyaman, and every morning when he rose he placed his left foot upon it three times
58Mpuannumfive tufts (of hair)
62Nkonsonkonsonlinks of a chain
63Nkotimsefuopuacertain attendants on the Queen Mother who dressed their hair in this fashion. Similar to a swastika.
66Nkyimkyimthe twisted pattern
68Nsaafrom a design of this name found on nsa cloths
69Nsirewacowries
70Nsoroma / Nsorommaa child of the Sky / Child of the Heavensreferring to the saying: Oba Nyankon soroma te Nyame so na onte ne ho so, 'Like the star, the child of the Supreme Being, I rest with God and do not depend upon myself.' / the pattern was on the King of Gyaman's pillow
71Ma te; MasieI have heard (what you have said); I have hidden itthis extols the virtue of being able to keep a confidence
Non listedNyame, biribi wo soro, ma no me ka me nsaO God, everything which is above, permit my hand to touch itthe pattern was stamped on paper and hung above the lintel of a door in the palace. The King of Gyaman used to touch lintel, then his forehead, then his breast, repeating these words three times
74Nyame duaan altar to the Sky God
76Nyame nwu na ma wuMay Nyame die before I die
Non listedObi nka obieI offend no one without a cause
84Ohene niwa(in) the king's little eyesTo be in the king's favour
85Ohen' tuothe king's gun
86Kodie mmowerewathe eagle's talons
92Owo Foro AdobeThe symbol of heroic deeds and accomplishing the impossible, but being quiet about it
96Sankofaturn back and fetch it
97Sankofaturn back and fetch it
98Sepowa knife thrust through the cheeks of a manthe man is about to be executed to prevent his invoking of a curse on the king

Further reading

External links

Notes and References

  1. Book: Appiah, Kwame Anthony. In My Father's House: Africa in the Philosophy of Culture. 1993. Oxford University Press. New York. 978-0-19-506852-8. 1st paperback . Kwame Anthony Appiah.
  2. Book: DeMello, Margo. Inked: Tattoos and Body Art around the World [2 volumes]]. 30 May 2014. ABC-CLIO. 978-1-61069-076-8. en.
  3. Web site: Adinkra Symbols African Themed Weddings African Wedding Ceremonies African Wedding Traditions. en-US. 23 May 2020. 8 June 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200608233148/https://africanthemedweddings.com/adinkra-symbols/. dead.
  4. Web site: History and Origin of Adinkra Symbols. 25 April 2015.
  5. Web site: Adinkra Symbols and the Rich Akan Culture. African Heritage. 27 August 2014.
  6. Book: Boateng, Boatema. The Copyright Thing Doesn't Work Here: Adinkra and Kente Cloth and Intellectual Property in Ghana. 2011. University of Minnesota Press. 978-0-8166-7002-4. en.
  7. Book: Rucker, Walter C.. The River Flows on: Black Resistance, Culture, and Identity Formation in Early America. 2006. LSU Press. 978-0-8071-3109-1. en.
  8. Web site: Adinkra . 2 September 2021. Encyclopedia.com.
  9. Web site: 30 June 2015. Adinkra Ghanaian Textile is a printed traditional cloth in Ghana. 2 September 2021. Bellafricana. en-US.
  10. Web site: cloth British Museum. 2 September 2021. The British Museum. en.
  11. Web site: Archived copy . 13 April 2011 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120322165030/http://www.volkenkunde.nl/rmv/internet/eain_ghana.html . 22 March 2012 . clickable image on right links to description
  12. Web site: Locurto . Tina . 'Afraid to teach': School's book ban targeted Black, Latino authors . 2023-12-01 . York Dispatch . en-US.
  13. Web site: Central York School District Reverses Diversity Ban: 'We Have Heard You'.. yorkdispatch.com. June 29, 2022.
  14. Book: Christaller, Johann Gottlieb. adiṅkărá. Johann Gottlieb Christaller. 1881. https://books.google.com/books?id=e6UTAAAAYAAJ&dq=linen&pg=PA84. A Dictionary of the Asante and Fante Language Called Tshi (Chwee, Tw̌i). 84. Basel.
  15. Book: Kotey, Paul A.. 1998. Twi-English/English-Twi Dictionary. New York. Hippocrene Books. 23. 978-0-7818-0264-2.
  16. Book: DeMello, Margo. Inked: Tattoos and Body Art around the World [2 volumes]]. 30 May 2014. ABC-CLIO. 978-1-61069-076-8. en.
  17. Web site: Cool Planet - Oxfam Education. Oxfam GB. 16 April 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20120729060757/http://www.oxfam.org.uk/coolplanet/ontheline/schools/adinkra/adinkrah.htm. 29 July 2012. dead.
  18. Book: Jansen, P. C. M.. 2005. Dyes and Tannins. PROTA (Plant Resources of Tropical Africa). 102. 9057821591. 19 June 2013.
  19. Book: Ayensu, Edward S.. 1978. Medicinal plants of West Africa. Algonac, Mich.. Reference Publications. 101. 9780917256073 .