The Philisophy of Adinkra Symbols in Asante Textiles, Jewellery and Other Art Forms

Adinkra, an iconographic writing which is a representation of the philosophy of the Asante people which is also understood by the people need to be preserved for generations to come. This research addresses the symbolism and philosophical presentations in the Adinkra symbols to the history of the Asante people. Qualitative research design (descriptive) was used to gather data. Various traditional printing studios and metal working studios were visited as well as review of some relevant literatures to the study. In building capacity for national development in relation to the philosophy of a people (Asante), various traditional working methods for production were evaluated, the research outline the systematic procedure both used in the traditional metal working industry for the production of jewellery with emphasis on traditional lost wax casting and that used in the traditional textiles industries in extracting dyes for use in fabric stamping. The paper also suggest possible improvements that can be either in the area of production process or in finishing the product and other alternative methods of using the Adinkra symbols in other art forms to preserve the symbols for posterity and for sustainable national development. Interpretation and concept development of some of the symbols with respect to the philosophy and history of the Asante people were discussed.