Adinkra Symbols: The Language of our Skin
Up until now, many scholars have identified the Adinkra symbols and their uses by the Akan people. What many scholars have ignored, however, is the urgency for many of these descendants of Akans (Africans and African Americans) to use the Adinkra symbols and cloth, both as language and aesthetic art form, as a way to connect and bridge cultural gaps. Thus, very few researchers have looked at its transference to the United States by enslaved Africans or its contemporary use by Blacks in the United States. Daniel Mato, an expert on these symbols, offers a clear reason as to why several scholars have not looked closely at the Adinkra symbols in general: “There is at present no single historical precedent for the factual dating of Adinkra cloth, for its origins are given through collateral historical events which are open to question and verification and limited in number” (12). The ambiguity of the symbols’ origin should not exclude its further excavation and that is why this research is important to me.
To understand the Adinkra symbols, one must understand the norms and ethics of those who are believed to have invented them. Adinkra symbols were believed to have been invented in the early 17th century by the Akans and the language that was used to create these symbols is Twi which is spoken by the Akans. The foundation of the Akan language is based on the use of things. Akans are also very particular about the spirit world and nature. Many of the symbols speak to one's relationship with God and the afterworld. Additionally, Akans often cherish proverbs as a way of advising the youth and telling stories: some of these Akan proverbs are reflected in the naming and interpretations of these symbols. The aim of my project is to understand how art is implemented in the defining of the Adinkra symbols and where it permeated as a cultural practice in the African American society. For me, this will mean looking at how other art practices or the symbols themselves are represented in Black culture.