History of Adinkra Symbols

Описание: In the Akan language of West Africa, Adinkra means “saying goodbye” or "farewell" to one another when parting. The name Adinkra, according to an Asante oral history of Ghana, comes from the Bono leader, the King of Gyaman— whose name was Nana Kofi Adinkra.

Adinkra committed suicide after realizing his people (Gyaman) would be defeated in battle by the Asante people because of the “Golden Stool.” Legend has it that Nana Adinkra wore cloth with patterns, as an expression of sadness at during the Gyaman-Asante wars.

In the 1800s, the Asante people began to paint traditional symbols of the Gyamans onto cloth. The Adinkra designs made by the Ashanti people in earlier times were originally used to decorate a funeral cloths but such cloths are now used for many different occasions. Adinkra designs serve two purposes: they convey a message when worn on clothing, and enhance the beauty of the cloth.

Adinkra cloth communicates through the language of symbols. These symbols remind people of specific proverbs and ideas with special meanings, such as unity, patience, fearlessness, strength, defiance, and forgiveness.

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...


References
The Creedal Symbols of my Great Grandparents: The Adinkra Symbols Reveal the Theology of the Akan People of Ghana, Written byKofi Amoateng(2018).
2. The people the boundary could not divide: The Gyaman of Ghana and Côte D’ivoire in historical perspective by Agyemang, Joseph Kwadwo and Ofosu-Mensah, Ababio Emmanuel(2013)
3. Bowdich, T. E. (1819). Mission from Cape Coast to Ashantee. London: W. Bulmer and Co.
Agyeman E. A. “A Note on the Foundation of the Kingdom of Gyaman.” Ghana Notes And Queries, 9(November 1966): 23-28.