Africa

Ghana: Adinkra Cloth

Adinkra clothes are traditionally used to remember a person who has passed away. The symbols on the cloth represent something about the personality or character of the person who has died. As you watch the videos below, think about the time and care it takes to create each cloth. What traditions do we have to remember or honor someone who has passed away?

This video demonstrates how the dye is created to dye the cloth a certain color. The entire process takes more than three days. Watch to see what tools and supplies are used to dye the cloth. What do you find interesting about the process?

In this video, you will see designs that have been carved in calabash (a type of squash) to print on the cloth. They will show the meaning of some of the symbols and demonstrate how they print on the cloth. What does this type of printing remind you of? Have you ever printed something in a similar way?

Try it out!
This video demonstrates how to create the stripes on an adinkra cloth to get started.

Try it out!
This video demonstrates how to carve a potato to create a stamp for the designs on an adinkra cloth.