Caribbean Symbolism

By Brendon Carrington

The Adinkra symbols were symbols that originated in West Africa in the 19th
century. To be more precise, a place called Gyaman in what is known today as Cte DIvoire
(Ivory Coast). In Ghanaian legend, it is said the the name Adinkra was the name of a Gyaman
king, whom the Asante people, the people of Ghana, overthrew because of a mishap over a
symbolic piece of the Asante called the Golden Stool. The kings name was Nana Kofi Adinkra,
and he was known for wearing patterned clothing. He was killed at the end of this dispute and
after his death, the king of the Asante people confiscated his patterned robes and henceforth
gained knowledge in the meaning of the symbols on the late kings clothing.
After the Adinkra symbols were exposed to the Asante they were used mostly for the
royals and spiritual leaders. The Asante, through the symbols they had seized from King Adinkra,
developed their own Adinkra symbols and added their own to the collection. But as the years
passed by, these symbols were incorporated into many things other than clothing. Since each
symbol had a meaning and proverb to it, people would place them on not just their clothing, but
their art as well. The meanings behind these symbols reflected the philosophies, religious beliefs,
social values and political history of the Akan people. Art meaning their pottery, sculpture,
architecture, metal works and even into businesses. Traditionally Adinkra clothing was created,
by stamping Adinkra aduru, a special kind of ink, into the cloth. This method however did not
include a fixative; therefore the garment could not be washed. Subsequently, Adinkra clothing is
now more widely available and therefore it is commercially manufactured. Adinkra attire is used,
in Ghana, for special occasions like ceremonial activities, i.e. weddings and funerals. Due to
slavery, many symbols could be found in the Caribbean, being brought across the Atlantic by the
religion and philosophy of captured slaves from West Africa.

Some examples of Adinkra symbols and their meanings:

Gye Nyame except God

Symbol of the omnipotence and the omnipresence of God. (Fear no one, except God.)
Akan proverb associated with this symbol: Abode santann yi firi tete; obi nte ase a onim ne
ahyease, na obi ntena ase nkosi ne awie, gye Nyame. This great panorama of creation
dates back to time immemorial; no one lives who saw its beginning and no one will live to see
its end, except God.

Akoma the heart

Symbol of patience, endurance and love & faithfulness.
Akan proverb associated with this symbol: Nya akoma Take heart

Epa handcuffs
Symbol of slavery, equality and law and justice.
Akan proverb associated with this symbol: Onii a ne pa da wonsa no, na nakoa ne wo
You are a slave to the one whose handcuffs you are wearing.

Nkyinkyim zigzag/twisting
Symbol of dynamism, initiative, toughness, adaptability and resoluteness.
Akan proverb associated with this symbol: Obra kwan ye nkyinkyimiie Lifes path is full
of ups and downs; twists and turns.

Created by Grantley W Prescod when Barbados achieved independence in 1966, the

symbolism in the Flag of Barbados has grown to develop many stories behind its creation.
Symbols are not the only objects that portray symbolism; colours can also be used to do such.
This is the case here, where one story behind the flag is that the blue (ultramarine) represents the
sea, and the yellow (gold) represents the sand that surrounds the island. Another belief is that the
the left blue stripe represents blue skies, the yellow stripe the sand and the right blue stripe the
sea.
The broken trident in the middle of the flag represents many things as well; the breaking
away of Barbados from the rule of Great Britain was one of the meanings behind it. The three
points of the trident represent the three principles of democracy, which are: Government of, for
and by the people. It also represented the artifact that the sea god, Poseidon, possessed in Greek
mythology, which also alludes to the importance the sea has with respect to Barbados.
Consequently, some of the meanings behind the broken trident on the flag coincided very well.

The three pronged trident symbol originated in ancient Greek mythology and as
mentioned before was wielded by the sea god Poseidon (also known as Neptune, in Rome). His
trident had caused floods and earthquakes and proof of his might was shown through such
events. Trident or the Indian, Trisula means three-toothed or three pronged and the number
three has a very strong spiritual or holy meaning. The holiness of the number three could be seen
in the three god brothers in Greek mythology, Zeus, Poseidon and Hades. Zeus ruled the heavens
(Mt. Olympus), Poseidon the worlds oceans and Hades the Underworld. These three brothers
ruled the entirety of the earth. The number three is also used in Christianity; the holy trinity
being the father, son and Holy Ghost. In more philosophical symbolism, three represents life, as
there are three stages to it. There is the beginning or birth, and then there is the middle where life
is lived, finally the end, death. There are three stages of time, morning, noon and night, as well as
past, present and future. Poseidon and his trident held power over the three principalities of
heaven, earth and hell.

Ironically, Barbados national flag has this trident on it and Barbados is located in the
Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea. It is also the first mass of land one reaches after sailing from
West Africa, making it a welcome sight on the seas. Therefore one could say that the broken
trident is fitting for the flag.

The coat of arms of Barbados, designed by Neville C. Connell, like any other national
symbol, has many objects in it with very symbolic meanings. Some of the symbols have double
meanings behind them as well. The symbols meanings from the Barbadian perspective are the
bearded fig tree in the middle of the golden shield, which represents the abundance of said tree in
the island around its settlement. The dolphin (mahi mahi), Dexter, stood for the fishing industry
and the pelican, sinister, epitomized the small off coast island, pelican island, that was home to
many pelicans back in its day. The arm holding the piecesof sugar cane denotes the famous sugar
industry.

The symbolic meaning of the pelican predates early Christianity. The legend behind this
bird was that when the mother pelicans young began to starve, she would sacrifice her own life
to feed them. This sacrifice included the mother puncturing her breast to feed the young with her
blood, to prevent starvation. Another similar story was that because the young pelicans starved
and died, the mother would puncture her breast and feed the corpses of her young and bring them
back to life. This is a perfect example of life blood. Beecause of this legend, the Christians
adopted the pelican to embody Jesus. Jesus died for our sins, just like a mother pelican would die
for her children. The actions of the pelican are also mimicked in the crucifixion of Jesus, when
the soldier pierced his breast with his spear and blood and water poured out of him. Because of
Christianity, the pelican became a symbol of charity and selflessness and was used in many holy
buildings to represent such.

Sources:
http://www.stlawu.edu/gallery/education/f/09textiles/adinkra_symbols.pdf
http://africanhistory.about.com/n_Adinkra.htm
http://www.twi.bb/akan-adinkra.php
http://www.adinkra.org/htmls/adinkra_index.htm
http://gnosticwarrior.com/trident.html
http://www.catholiceducation.org/en/culture/catholic-contributions/the-symbolism-of-thepelican.html
http://www.foreign.gov.bb/pageselect.cfm?page=24