About the Sankofa bird
The Sankofa Bird is from the Country of Ghana and is associated with the Akan speaking people of that country. The Akan people were led by King Adinkera in the 19th century. He went to war with King Asantehene who led the Ashanti people. This historical conflict took place in West Africa, now called Ghana. The King Asantehene was victorious and took the cloth King Adinkera was wearing as a trophy. The cloth was very special as it had symbols stamped all over it. The cloth was more than a garment, it was a medium for communication. These symbols are today called Adinkra, in remembrance of the defeated king.
The Sankofa bird is one of the most recognized of all the Adinkra symbols today. In the Akan language, Sankofa means “it is not wrong to go back for that which you have forgotten”. The Sankofa bird is portrayed as a bird flying looking backward over its shoulder. In its beak is an egg. The egg in its beak represents the “gem” or knowledge of the past upon which wisdom is based; it also signifies the generation to come that would benefit from that wisdom.
The symbol of the sankofa bird is associated with the proverb, “Se wo were fi na wosankofa a yenkyi,” which in translation means, “It is not wrong to go back for that which you have forgotten”.
The Akan believe that the past illuminates the present and that the search for knowledge is a long-life process. The image illustrates the quest for knowledge, while the proverb suggest the rightness of such a quest so long as it is based upon knowledge of the past.
(san = “to return”) + (ko = “to go” + (fa = “to look, to seek and take”)
To know about the Akan people, please follow the link below:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akan_people
To know about the language, please follow the link below:
