Here’s a little story about the power of adinkra symbols.
About two years ago, a young woman came to visit me to purchase some waist beads. As she viewed the selection, she became excited when she saw a set of amethyst waist beads adorned with the gye nyame adinkra symbol. “What’s this?” she asked.
I explained an adinkra is a West African symbol, and each one presents a cultural message or wisdom. The gye nyame represents the power of Spirit with the message, “I fear no one but God.”
“Wow,” said young woman. “I never knew that!”
She then showed me the gye nyame she had tattooed on her shoulder! “You got that tattoo without knowing what it meant?” I asked, amazed.
“I got it about 6 months ago and the artist wasn’t sure of its meaning,” she replied. “But I was drawn to it. I just liked the way it looked.” The adinkra’s meaning couldn’t have been revealed at a more appropriate time because she was experiencing a life-threatening illness and needed her courage.
Somehow our ancestors knew.