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EveryParampara

Adinkra

Akan symbols stamped on cloth, each standing for a proverb or idea.

A pattern drawn for this page, not a picture of Adinkra.

Also: adinkra symbols

Adinkra are visual symbols created by the Akan people of Ghana and Ivory Coast, each representing a concept or proverb. Examples are Gye Nyame, the supremacy of God, Sankofa, a bird looking back, meaning learn from the past, and Dwennimmen, ram's horns, for humility and strength. They are stamped onto cloth using carved calabash pieces and a dye made from tree bark, and also appear on pottery, walls, gold weights, jewellery and logos. Traditionally adinkra cloth was worn at funerals and by the royal court. The symbols are now used worldwide as a design language for African identity.

Region: Sub-Saharan Africa

See also

KenteSankofa

Find traditions that mention Adinkra

The weekly EveryParampara

Every week: one tradition from somewhere new, what is being celebrated around the world this week, and one idea explained.