Adinkra
On our way back to Kumasi from Adanwomase, we stopped at Ntonso, where adinkra cloth is produced.
While kente cloth is famous for the patterns into which it's woven, adinkra cloth is famous for, and named for, the symbols applied to it. Each adinkra symbol conveys a triple meaning: it is a depiction of an object, that connotes a proverb, that expresses an underlying concept. Here are two examples.
The symbol on the left is funtunfunefu-denkyemfunefu. It depicts Siamese crocodiles - animals who proverbially fight over food, even though they share a single stomach. It expresses the foolishness of tribalism and infighting.
The symbol on the right right is owuo atwedee. It depicts a ladder. This is meant to signify the west African proverb that "All men must climb the ladder of death", and so express the concept of mortality. (Eat your heart out, Game of Thrones.)
For a list of symbols, consult this adinkra index. The list is expanding, but not exhaustive; indeed, new adinkra symbols seem to be emerging all the time...
At Ntonso, we saw how the adinkra cloth is decorated.
The ink is made from the inner bark of the badie tree (bridelia ferruginea). First, the bark is soaked in water, to soften it. Then, it's pulverized with a pestle:
This is hard work, but it's fun for short periods, so we all took a brief turn.
Once the bark is pulverized, it's boiled over a wood fire for hours, until it darkens and thickens into ink.
The ink is applied to the cloth using stamps carved out of calabash.
The Musician and I each tried our hand at this craft. We were each asked to choose a few stamps to apply in a repeating pattern.
I favoured circular motifs, and chose symbols that I later learned were adinkrahene, ohene aniwa (an image of a king's eye, signifying beauty and vigilance) and mate masie.
The Musician, whose taste ran in the opposite direction, chose to alternate between two symbols: fihankra and the aforementioned funtunfunefu-denkyemfunefu.
Behold our handiwork!