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Nyame (Ono nya me) | |
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| Lord of the Sky | |
 Adinkra Symbol: Gye Nyame | |
| Consorts | Asase Ya |
| Issue | Tano Bia Anansi Apo [1] Bosomtwe [2] Owuo [3] |
Nyame (or Onyankopon) is the god of the Akan people of Ghana. [4] His name means "He who knows and sees everything" and "omniscient, omnipotent sky goddess" in the Akan language.
Nyame is the Twi word for god and the Adinkra symbol "Gye Nyame" means "Nothing but God". The Akan people usurped the Adinkra symbols when their chieftain imprisoned Nana Adinkra, chief of Gyaman and his entourage. [5] The Akan chief had his scribes copy the Adinkra symbols and then appropriated them into their culture, changing the meaning to fit what today means "there is nothing except God" in the Twi language of the Akan. However, the Adinkra people who originated the symbol knew nothing of Christianity and invented the symbol independent from its use and meaning in today's Akan culture. The Gyaman people are also Akan.
Anansi is an Akan folktale character and the Akan God of Stories, Wisdom, Knowledge, and possibly creation. The form of a spider is the most common depiction of Anansi. He is also, sometimes considered to be God of all knowledge of stories. Taking the role of trickster, he is also one of the most important characters of West African, African American and West Indian folklore. Originating in Ghana, West Africa, these spider tales were transmitted to the Caribbean by way of the transatlantic slave trade. Anansi is best known for his ability to outsmart and triumph over more powerful opponents through his use of cunning, creativity and wit. Despite taking on the role of the trickster, Anansi's actions and parables often carry him as protagonist due to his ability to transform his apparent weaknesses into virtues. He is among several West African tricksters including Br'er Rabbit and Leuk Rabbit.
Asante, also known as Ashanti, Ashante, or Asante Twi, is one of the principal members of the Akan dialect continuum. It is one of the four mutually intelligible dialects of Akan which are collectively known as Twi, the others being Bono, Akuapem, and Fante. There are 3.8 million speakers of Asante, mainly concentrated in Ghana and southeastern Cote D'Ivoire, and especially in and around the Ashanti Region of Ghana.
Akan is a Central Tano language and the principal native language of the Akan people of Ghana, spoken over much of the southern half of Ghana. About 80% of Ghana's population can speak Akan, and about 44% of Ghanaians are native speakers. It is also spoken in parts of Côte d'Ivoire.
The Akan are a meta-ethnicity living primarily in the countries of present-day Ghana and Ivory Coast in West Africa. The Akan language are a group of dialects within the Central Tano branch of the Potou–Tano subfamily of the Niger–Congo family. Subgroups of the Akan people include: the Agona, Akuapem, Akwamu, Akyem, Ashanti, Bono, Fante, Kwahu, Wassa, and Ahanta. The Akan subgroups all have cultural attributes in common; most notably the tracing of matrilineal descent, inheritance of property, and succession to high political office.
Gyaman was a medieval Akan people state, located in what is now the Bono region of Ghana and Ivory Coast. Gyaman was founded by the Bono people, a branch of the Akan, in the late 15th century. The Bono then proceeded to conquer the Kulangos, Nafanas, Ligbis, and other ethnic groups of the area.
The Bono, also called the Brong and the Abron, are an Akan people of West Africa. Bonos are normally tagged Akan piesie or Akandifo of which Akan is a derivative name. Bono is the genesis and cradle of Akans. Bono is one of the largest ethnic group of Akan and are matrilineal people. Bono people speak the Bono Twi of Akan language. Twi language, thus the dialect of Bono is a derivative of a Bono King Nana Twi. In the late fifteenth century, the Bono people founded the Gyaaman kingdom as extension of Bono state in what is now Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire.
Adinkra are symbols from Ghana that represent concepts or aphorisms. Adinkra are used extensively in fabrics, logos and pottery. They are incorporated into walls and other architectural features. Adinkra symbols appear on some traditional Akan goldweights. The symbols are also carved on stools for domestic and ritual use. Tourism has led to new departures in the use of the symbols in items such as T-shirts and jewellery.
Sankofa is a word in the Twi language of Ghana meaning “to retrieve" and also refers to the Bono Adinkra symbol represented either with a stylized heart shape or by a bird with its head turned backwards while its feet face forward carrying a precious egg in its mouth. Sankofa is often associated with the proverb, “Se wo were fi na wosankofa a yenkyi," which translates as: "It is not wrong to go back for that which you have forgotten."
The writing systems of Africa refer to the current and historical practice of writing systems on the African continent, both indigenous and those introduced.
Asase Ya/Afua is the goddess of fertility, love and the earth of the Akan of Ghana and Ivory Coast. She is also known as Mother Earth or Aberewaa.
The Asante, also known as Ashanti, are part of the Akan ethnic group and are native to the Ashanti Region of modern-day Ghana. Asantes are the last group to emerge out of the various Akan civilisations. Twi is spoken by over nine million Asante people as a first or second language.
Oborɔnyi is the Akan word for foreigner, literally meaning "those who come from over the horizon." It is often colloquially translated into "white person."
Akan religion comprises the traditional beliefs and religious practices of the Akan people of Ghana and eastern Ivory Coast. Akan religion is referred to as Akom. Although most Akan people have identified as Christians since the early 20th century, Akan religion remains practiced by some and is often syncretized with Christianity. The Akan have many subgroups, so the religion varies greatly by region and subgroup. Similar to other traditional religions of West and Central Africa such as West African Vodun, Yoruba religion, or Odinani, Akan cosmology consists of a senior god who generally does not interact with humans and many gods who assist humans.
Twi, also known as Akan kasa, or Akan-speak, is a dialect of the Akan language spoken in southern and central Ghana by several million people, mainly of the Akan people, the largest of the seventeen major ethnic groups in Ghana. Twi has about 17–18 million speakers in total, including second-language speakers; about 80% of the Ghanaian population speaks Twi as a first or second language. Like other West African languages, Twi is a tonal language.
Most words of African origin used in English are nouns describing animals, plants, or cultural practices that have their origins in Africa. The following list includes some examples.
Osram ne nsoromma is one of the Bono Adinkra symbols, which is interpreted to mean "Osram" Moon "Ne" and "Nsoromma" Star. This symbol signifies love, bonding and faithfulness in marriage. The symbol is represented by a half moon with a star slightly hanging within the circumference of the moon. Adinkra are symbols that carry a message or a concept. They are very much used by the Bono people of the Bonoman and the Gyaman, an Akan people of Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire. Osram ne nsoromma symbols are incorporated into walls and other architectural features and quite recently has become common with tattoo designers. The most common ways through which the Adinkra messages are carried out or conveyed is having them printed extensively in fabrics and used in pottery.
The traditional Jamaican Maroon religion, otherwise known as Kumfu, was developed by a mixing of West and Central African religious practices in Maroon communities. While the traditional religion of the Maroons was absorbed by Christianity due to conversions in Maroon communities, many old practices continued on. Some have speculated that Jamaican Maroon religion helped the development of Kumina and Convince. The religious Kromanti dance is still practiced today but not always with the full religious connotation as in the past.
Tano, whose true name is Taa Koraa or Tano Akora, and Tando to the Fante is the God of war and strife in Akan mythology and God of Thunder and Lightning in the Asante mythology of Ghana as well as the Agni mythology of the Ivory Coast. He represents the Tano River, which is located in Ghana. He is regarded as the highest atano, or Tano god in Akan mythology.
Owuo is the god of Death in the Asante and Akan mythology of West Ghana and the Krachi peoples of East Ghana and Togo. He is represented with the Adinkra symbol of a ladder. It is said that he was created by Odomankoma just so he could kill humans and possibly other deities, such as Odomankoma himself.
Oheneba is a regal rank given to both female or male child of a king or chief. It is the equivalent of prince or princess.
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