Hand created Adinkra Stamped Holiday Cards

Sometimes all the Christmas hub-a-loo can cause an adverse reaction. Here at BoP, together with Elizabeth Eckel, we created a pack of four, brown recycled papered cards from a faraway West African culture.

We took “Adinkra” stamps from Elizabeth’s vast travels on the Continent (these in particular from Ghana on the Atlantic Coast), and created magnificent gold and red patterns telling of virtues.

Here is a key of the symbols found on the cards (and described on their backsides):

adinkrahene – greatness, leadership, loyalty

dwennimmen – “Ram’s horns” – humility and strength

mate masie – “what I hear, I keep,” – wisdom, knowledge, patience; also implies “I understand” as one must take into consideration what another person says.

We used the below website for help with translations:

http://www.adinkra.org/htmls/adinkra_index.htm

Each one of a kind, individual card and envelope measures 3.5 x 5 inches/4 in a pack wrapped in nautical twine