Adinkra
Encyclopedia
Adinkra are visual symbols, originally created by the Akan
of Ghana
and the Gyaman of Cote d'Ivoire
in West Africa
, that represent concepts or aphorisms. Adinkra are used extensively in fabrics, pottery, logos and advertising. They are incorporated into walls and other architectural features. Fabric adinkra are often made by woodcut
sign writing as well as screen printing. Adinkra symbols appear on some traditional akan gold weights
. The symbols are also carved on stools for domestic and ritual use. Tourism has led to new departures in the use of the symbols in such items as T shirts and jewelry.
The symbols have a decorative function but also represent objects that encapsulate evocative messages that convey traditional wisdom, aspects of life or the environment. There are many different symbols with distinct meanings, often linked with proverbs
. In the words of Anthony Appiah, they were one of the means in a pre-litrate society for "supporting the transmission of a complex and nuanced body of practice and belief".
collected a piece of adinkra cloth in 1817, which demonstrates that adinkra art existed before the traditional starting date. Bowdich obtained this cotton cloth in Kumasi
, a city in south-central Ghana. The patterns were printed using carved calabash
stamps and a vegetable-based dye. The cloth features fifteen stamped symbols, including nsroma (stars), dono ntoasuo (double Dono drums), and diamonds. It is now in the British Museum
.
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 F. Last, who was appointed temporary Commander of Dutch possessions along the Guinea Coast. He probably had the cloth commissioned for King William I
, which would explain why the Dutch coat of arms
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.
The present centre of traditional production of adinkra cloth is Ntonso, 20 km northwest of Kumasi. Dark Adinkra aduro pigment for the stamping is made there, by soaking, pulverizing, and boiling the inner bark and roots of the baobab tree (Adansonia digitata
, known as Badie) 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.
recorded a sample of fifty three adinkra symbols and their meanings in his Religion and Art in Ashanti (Oxford, 1927):
Akan people
The Akan people are an ethnic group found predominately in Ghana and The Ivory Coast. Akans are the majority in both of these countries and overall have a population of over 20 million people.The Akan speak Kwa languages-Origin and ethnogenesis:...
of Ghana
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
and the Gyaman of Cote d'Ivoire
Côte d'Ivoire
The Republic of Côte d'Ivoire or Ivory Coast is a country in West Africa. It has an area of , and borders the countries Liberia, Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso and Ghana; its southern boundary is along the Gulf of Guinea. The country's population was 15,366,672 in 1998 and was estimated to be...
in West Africa
West Africa
West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. Geopolitically, the UN definition of Western Africa includes the following 16 countries and an area of approximately 5 million square km:-Flags of West Africa:...
, that represent concepts or aphorisms. Adinkra are used extensively in fabrics, pottery, logos and advertising. They are incorporated into walls and other architectural features. Fabric adinkra are often made by woodcut
Woodcut
Woodcut—occasionally known as xylography—is a relief printing artistic technique in printmaking in which an image is carved into the surface of a block of wood, with the printing parts remaining level with the surface while the non-printing parts are removed, typically with gouges...
sign writing as well as screen printing. Adinkra symbols appear on some traditional akan gold weights
Akan goldweights
Akan goldweights were used as a measuring system by the Akan people of West Africa, particularly for weighing gold dust which was currency until replaced by paper money and coins. They are referred to locally as mrammou and the weights are made of brass and not gold. Used to weigh gold and...
. The symbols are also carved on stools for domestic and ritual use. Tourism has led to new departures in the use of the symbols in such items as T shirts and jewelry.
The symbols have a decorative function but also represent objects that encapsulate evocative messages that convey traditional wisdom, aspects of life or the environment. There are many different symbols with distinct meanings, often linked with proverbs
Proverb
A proverb is a simple and concrete saying popularly known and repeated, which expresses a truth, based on common sense or the practical experience of humanity. They are often metaphorical. A proverb that describes a basic rule of conduct may also be known as a maxim...
. In the words of Anthony Appiah, they were one of the means in a pre-litrate society for "supporting the transmission of a complex and nuanced body of practice and belief".
History
African oral tradition dates the arrival of adinkra among the Akan to the end of the 1818 Asante-Gyaman War. However, the Englishman Thomas Edward BowdichThomas Edward Bowdich
Thomas Edward Bowdich was an English traveller and author.He was born at Bristol and educated at Bristol Grammar School. In 1813 he married Sarah Wallis, who shared his subsequent career. In 1814, through his uncle, J...
collected a piece of adinkra cloth in 1817, which demonstrates that adinkra art existed before the traditional starting date. Bowdich obtained this cotton cloth in Kumasi
Kumasi
Kumasi is a city in southern central Ghana's Ashanti region. It is located near Lake Bosomtwe, in the Rain Forest Region about northwest of Accra. Kumasi is approximately north of the Equator and north of the Gulf of Guinea...
, a city in south-central Ghana. The patterns were printed using carved calabash
Calabash
Lagenaria siceraria , bottle gourd, opo squash or long melon is a vine grown for its fruit, which can either be harvested young and used as a vegetable, or harvested mature, dried, and used as a bottle, utensil, or pipe. For this reason, the calabash is widely known as the bottle gourd...
stamps and a vegetable-based dye. The cloth features fifteen stamped symbols, including nsroma (stars), dono ntoasuo (double Dono drums), and diamonds. It is now in the British Museum
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
.
The next oldest piece of adinkra textile was sent in 1825 from the Elmina Castle
Elmina Castle
Elmina Castle was erected by Portugal in 1482 as São Jorge da Mina Castle, also known simply as Mina or Feitoria da Mina) in present-day Elmina, Ghana . It was the first trading post built on the Gulf of Guinea, so is the oldest European building in existence below the Sahara...
to the Royal Cabinet of Curiosities
Cabinet of curiosities
A cabinet of curiosities was an encyclopedic collection in Renaissance Europe of types of objects whose categorical boundaries were yet to be defined. They were also known by various names such as Cabinet of Wonder, and in German Kunstkammer or Wunderkammer...
in The Hague
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
, in response to an assignment from Major F. Last, who was appointed temporary Commander of Dutch possessions along the Guinea Coast. He probably had the cloth commissioned for King William I
William I of the Netherlands
William I Frederick, born Willem Frederik Prins van Oranje-Nassau , was a Prince of Orange and the first King of the Netherlands and Grand Duke of Luxembourg....
, which would explain why the Dutch coat of arms
Coat of arms of the Netherlands
The Greater Coat of Arms of the Realm, , is the personal coat of arms of the monarch of the Netherlands . The government of the Netherlands uses a smaller version without the mantle or the pavilion or sometimes even only uses the shield and crown...
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.
Adinkra cloth
Adinkra cloths were traditionally only worn by royalty and spiritual leaders for funerals and other special occasions. They are now worn by anyone, stylishly wrapped around women or men on any special occasion. In the past they were hand printed on undyed, red, dark brown or black hand-woven cotton fabric depending on the occasion and the wearer's role; nowadays they are frequently mass-produced on brighter coloured fabrics.The present centre of traditional production of adinkra cloth is Ntonso, 20 km northwest of Kumasi. Dark Adinkra aduro pigment for the stamping is made there, by soaking, pulverizing, and boiling the inner bark and roots of the baobab tree (Adansonia digitata
Adansonia digitata
Adansonia digitata is the most widespread of the Adansonia species on the African continent, found in the hot, dry savannahs of sub-Saharan Africa. It also grows, having spread secondary to cultivation, in populated areas...
, known as Badie) 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
Calabash
Lagenaria siceraria , bottle gourd, opo squash or long melon is a vine grown for its fruit, which can either be harvested young and used as a vegetable, or harvested mature, dried, and used as a bottle, utensil, or pipe. For this reason, the calabash is widely known as the bottle gourd...
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.
Symbols listed by Rattray
Robert Sutherland RattrayRobert Sutherland Rattray
Robert Sutherland Rattray, CBE, known as Captain R. S. Rattray was an early Africanist and student of the Ashanti. He was one of the early writers on Oware, and on Ashanti gold weights.-Life:...
recorded a sample of fifty three adinkra symbols and their meanings in his Religion and Art in Ashanti (Oxford, 1927):
- Gyawu Atiko, lit. the back of Gyawu's head. Gyawu was a sub-chief of Bantama who at the annual Odwira ceremony is said to have had his hair shaved in this fashion.
- Akoma ntoaso, lit. the joined hats.
- Epa, handcuffs. See also No. 16.
- Nkyimkyim, the twisted pattern.
- Nsirewa, cowries.
- Nsa, from a design of this name found on nsa cloths.
- Mpuannum, lit. five tufts (of hair).
- Duafe. the wooden comb.
- Nkuruma kese, lit. dried okros.
- Aya, the fern; the word also means 'I am not afraid of you', 'I am independent of you' and the wearer may imply this by wearing it.
- Aban, a two-storied house, a castle; this design was formerly worn by the King of Ashanti alone.
- Nkotimsefuopua, certain attendants on the Queen Mother who dressed their hair in this fashion. It is really a variation of the swastika.
- SankofaSankofaSankofa can mean either the word in the Akan language of Ghana that translates in English to "go back and take" or the Asante Adinkra symbols of a a bird with its head turned backwards taking an egg off its back, or of a stylised heart shape...
, lit. turn back and fetch it. See also No. 27. - Sankofa, lit. turn back and fetch it. See also No. 27.
- Kuntinkantan, lit. bent and spread out ; nkuntinkantan is used in the sense of ' do not boast, do not be arrogant '.
- Epa, handcuffs, same as No. 3.
- Nkonsonkonson, lit. links of a chain; as No. 44.
- Nyame dua, an altar to the Sky God.
- Agyindawuru, the agyin's (a tree) gong. The juice of a tree of that name is sometimes squeezed into a gong and is said to make the sound pleasing to the spirits.
- Sepow, the knife thrust through the cheeks of the man about to be executed to prevent his invoking a curse on the king.
- Adinkira ‘hene, the Adinkira king, and ‘chief’ of all these Adinkira designs. See No. 34.
- 'Fihankra, the circular house.
- Papani amma yenhu Kramo. 'All the people who pray and pretend to be devout Mohammedans prevent us knowing who are really Mohammedans' (association obscure).
- Mmrafo ani ase, the keloids on a Hausa man.
- Musuyidie, lit. something to remove evil; a cloth with this design stamped upon it lay beside the sleeping couch of the King of Ashanti, and every morning when he rose he placed his left foot upon it three times.
- Nyame, biribi wo soro, ma no me ka me nsa. '0 God, everything which is above, permit my hand to touch it.' This pattern was stamped on paper and hung above the lintel of a door in the palace. The King of Ashanti used to touch lintel, then his forehead, then his breast, repeating these words three times.
- As No. 13.
- Akam, an edible plant (yam?).
- Se die fofoo pe, ne se gyinantwi abo bedie. 'What the yellow-flowered fofoo plant wants is that the gyinantwi seeds should turn black.' This is a well-known Ashanti saying. One of the cotton cloth designs bears the same name. The fofoo, the botanical name of which is Bidens pilosaBidens pilosaBidens pilosa, commonly known as Spanish Needle, is a species in the plant family Asteraceae. It is an annual that grows up to 1 meter in height....
, has a small yellow flower, which, when it drops its petals, turns into a black spiky seed. Said of a jealous person. - Mmra Krado. The Hausa man's lock.
- Dwenini aben, the ram's horns.
- Dono ntoasuo, the double dono drums.
- Ma te, 'I have heard what you have said'; association with design obscure.
- Adinkira hene. As No. 2 1.
- Nyame nwu na ma wu, 'May Nyame die before I die.'
- Hye wo nhye, 'He who would burn you be not burned.' See also No. 49.
- Gye Nyame, ' Except God (I fear none).'
- As No. 26.
- Ohene niwa, '(in) the king's little eyes', ie in his favour.
- Akoben, the war-horn.
- Kwatakye atiko, lit. at the back of Kwatakye's head. Kwatakye was a war captain of one of the Ashanti kings; at the Odwira ceremony he is said to have cut his hair after this fashion.
- Akoma, the heart, with a cross in the centre.
- Ohen' tuo, the king's gun.
- Same as No. 17.
- Obi nka obie, 'I offend no one without a cause.'
- Pa gya, to strike fire (with a flint).
- Akoma, the heart.
- Nsoroma, lit. a child of the Sky, ie a star, referring 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.'
- Hye wo nhye. 'He who would burn you, be not burned.' This pattern was on the King of Ashanti's pillow.
- This, I was informed, was a new design copied from Europeans.
- Kodie mmowerewa, the eagle's talons.
- Dono, the dono drum.
- Akoko nan tia 'ba, na nkum 'ba, 'A hen treads upon chickens but does not kill them.'
Further reading
- The Adinkra dictionary: A visual primer on the language of Adinkra by W. Bruce Willis ISBN 0-9661532-1-9
- Cloth as Metaphor: (re)reading the Adinkra cloth symbols of the Akan of Ghana by Dr. George F. Kojo Arthur.
- Legon, Ghana: Centre for Indigenous Knowledge Systems, 2001. 187, [6], p. 29 cm. ISBN 9988-0-0791-4
- African Accents: Fabrics and Crafts to Decorate Your Home by Lisa Shepard ISBN 0-87341-789-5
- Adinkra Symbols: To say good bye to a dead relative or friend by Matthew Bulgin