ADINKRA AS BOTH PREGNANT WITH MEANING AND AS TRANSCENDING FIXITY OF MEANING

In Adinkra, the designs of the system, which are at times mathematical forms, are the primers for philosophical ideas. In Ifa the development of a structure of deriving complex from simpler numbers is the framework for verbal expressions which encapsulate philosophical and religious ideas. The deployment of this structure in relating to actual human situations which the oracles addresses in divination sessions is developed in terms of the probabilistic relationships between the numerical patterns of the system as possibilities of combinations which are bounded by the total number of two hundred and fifty six.

The general understanding of Adinkra involves attributions of symbolic values which deal with social relations and metaphysical conceptions. This understanding also involves the relationship of their designs to mathematical, natural and abstract forms. There exist a proliferation of descriptions of the symbolic meanings of Adinkra and the structural significance of its artistic forms. These symbols are also used in a broad range of contexts, from textile designs to architecture, organisational motifs and body art. Within this breath of exposition and adaptation, perhaps the most sensitive statement about Adinkra known to me is that by Faux and Gates which focuses on the evocative power of some Adinkra, an evocative force that transcends not only their customary symbolic attributions but all other efforts to express their significance:


The use of symbols to connote ideas which defy simple verbalization is perhaps one of the oldest of human traditions. The Asante people of West Africa have long been accustomed to using simple yet elegant motifs known as Adinkra symbols, to serve just this purpose[1]. With a nod to this tradition, we christen our graphical symbols as “Adinkras.”

Faux and Gates use the symbols they developed in exploring ideas in the study of matter and energy and their interactions. They use lines and circles in black and white similar to those evident in some Adinkra symbols in representing two of the most fundamental particles in the universe in an effort to arrive at a description of the relationships between the four fundamental forces of nature and of matter-electricity, magnetism, gravity and - within a single, all-encompassing framework. Their work is a contribution to the study of supersymmetry, theories that propose a powerful symmetry between natural forces, often between matter and radiation. It thereby represents a step in the quest to unite all natural forces in one unified theory that underlies them all, providing a comprehensive view of the forces that compose the universe. Faux and Gates use their technology of lines and circles in representing a conception of symmetry between classes of elementary particles called fermions and bosons. This symmetry underlies the conception of the possibility of developing a unified understanding of all natural forces.


[1] Michael Faux and S. J. Gates, Jr, “Adinkras: A Graphical Technology for Supersymmetric Representation Theory” arXiv:hep-th/0408004 v1. 2 Aug 2004.1.

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