Akan Culture: the Symbolism Behind the Adinkra Cloth

1175 Words5 Pages
Akan Culture: The Symbolism Behind the Adinkra Cloth The Adinkra cloth was created in Ghana, West Africa, by the Akan people. This consists of a cloth printed or stamped with black dye made from the bark of Badie tree, using stamps carved from sections of calabash. For decades, the Adinkra cloth was known to be worn only as a mourning cloth during times of grief, but today it is worn during every occasion. The Akan people are known primarily for two types of cloth production: printed Adinkra and woven Kente cloth (Ventura 1). The practice of creating Adinkra cloth teaches about the West African Akan culture and values in the form of the symbols on the cloth which represent them. This traditional practice is important for the history of the Akan people and has significant historical, symbolic, and aesthetic value. Adinkra symbols express various themes that relate to the history, beliefs and philosophy of the Akan people. By focusing solely on the process of production, symbols, and messages carried by each image printed on the Adinkra cloth, much can be learned about the Akan people. The relationship between nature and fashion is directly connected to the Akan’s culture. All materials used in the cloth making process are derived from natural plant products, keeping this process organic and close to the values of the people. Over the years, the ingredients and recipe in making the dye for printing on the Adinkra cloth have remained unchanged (Kraamer 37). Historically, over ninety percent of the Akan’s population was in some way involved in the production of Adinkra cloth (Kraamer 53). However, upon my visit to Ghana with my family in June of 2007, I noticed the number of people involved in the production of Adinkra cloth was minimal. This could have been attributed to the growing use of

More about Akan Culture: the Symbolism Behind the Adinkra Cloth

Open Document