family and friends and provides a site for the
settling of disputes; contributes economically to
the locale via attendees’ contributions; offers the
people an opportunity to assess the efficiency of
their ohene; and strengthens each person’s role in
the community.
On a more individual level, the Adae is also
recognized through ritual by spiritual practition-
ers of the Akan tradition. Each Akwasidae,
Akomfo (traditional priests; singular: okomfo)
and their attendees hold an Akom.Akomis the
general term given to a series of dances performed
by the Akomfo. It is an intricate system of com-
munication and healing that provides an oppor-
tunity for dancing to the specific cadences of
religious drumming during what may be charac-
terized as a spiritual gathering of the ancestors,
the abosom, and the people gathered who sing,
clap, drum, and dance.
The Akom may be thought of as an extraordi-
narily good time, as well as a precise and sophis-
ticated formula for raising spiritual consciousness,
and thus is an appropriate ritual for Akwasidae.
In the spiritual tradition, all are encouraged to
recognize and celebrate Akwasidae because it pro-
vides a communal means through which to main-
tain contact with the ancestors. Awukudae, which
falls on the fourth Wednesday after Akwasidae,
is primarily celebrated in the Eastern region of
Ghana and is seen as the Adae on which people
should work toward good causes (i.e., feed the
hungry, make monetary donations, help the needy,
etc.). During this Adae, particular attention is paid
to the shrines of personal and family ancestors.
Adae emphasizes and further reinforces the
essential Akan principle that the living require the
cooperation of the ancestors in their daily exis-
tence. This periodic invocation and veneration of
the ancestors keeps their memory and spirits alive
in the minds of the people and the heart of the
community.
Yaba Amgborale BlaySee alsoAbosom; Akan; Ceremonies
Further Readings
Fosu, K. A. (2001).Festivals in Ghana. Kumasi, Ghana:
Author.
Opoku, K. A. (1978).West African Traditional Religion.
Accra, Ghana: FEP International Private Ltd.
Opokuwaa, N. A. K. (2005).The Quest for Spiritual
Transformation:Introduction to Traditional Akan
Religion, Rituals and Practices. New York: iUniverse.ADINKRASYMBOLS
Associated most often with a multitude of sym-
bols, the term “adinkra” is more accurately used
to denote a symbolic funerary message given to
transitioning and/or departed souls. The term
“di” means “to make use of” or “to employ,” and
the term “nkra” means “message.” Literally, then,
adinkra means “to make use of a message,” but
when spoken together, the term is understood to
mean “to leave one another” or “to say good-
bye.” Moreover, because the term “nkra” has
“kra” (life force; soul) at its root, adinkra is fur-
ther understood as a message that a transitioning
and/or departed soul takes with it on its return to
Nyame. Thus, adinkra is a type of language.
Although it is clear that the Akan have used
adinkra for many centuries, there has been much
academic debate over the exact origins of the sym-
bols. The most commonly accepted legend comes
from the stampers (those who create/produce
adinkra). Legend has it that the symbols gained
their name from Nana Kofi Adinkra, the famous
19th-century king of Gyaman, located in neigh-
boring Cote d’Ivoire. King Adinkra was said
to have challenged the authority of the then
Asantehene Nana Osei Bonsu Panyin by making a
replica of the Sika Dwa (golden stool).
The result of this spiritual violation of the
Asante nation was the Asante-Gyamn War in
which the Gyamans were defeated. The
Asantehene was said to have admired the crafts-
manship of the replica Sika Dwa, which was
adorned with various symbols, so much so that he
forced the defeated Gyaman craftsmen to dupli-
cate the symbols and also teach Asante craftsmen
how to produce them themselves. So begins the
Akan legacy of adinkra symbols.
The Akan believe that the entire world is com-
posed of two realms—the physical (living) and
nonphysical (spirit). In their cosmology, there is no
clear distinction between the physical and spiritualAdinkra Symbols 7