African Symbols

Adinkra symbols have great significance in a culture without a written heritage. They ably represent and encapsulate ideas, themes, and concepts in a beautiful, simple way—a way in which words are so often unable to achieve.

Traditionally printed onto cloth worn at important ceremonial occasions, their use has evolved and today find expression in a variety of modern contexts. However, their meaning and ability to eloquently represent a statement or aspiration remains unchanged. Choose a symbol that represents something you cherish, aspire to, admire in someone else, or simply because of its aesthetic appeal.

These symbols are taken from the adinkra, a symbolic language used by the Asante people of West Africa, to express the connection between the verbal and the visual. Dating back centuries, each symbol has a rich proverbial meaning relating to universal aspects of humanity.