Sankofa

Although many adinkra have found their way into western tattoos, perhaps none is quite so elegant or well known as the sankofa symbol. The Akan proverb states "Se wo were fi na wosan kofa a, yenkyi" or "There is nothing wrong with learning from hindsight." The term sankofa comes from the words "san" (return), "ko" (go), and "fa" (look, seek, and take). The image of the mythological bird with its head bent looking backward has been interpreted and re-interpreted in several different ways. At times, it can symbolize the chief who can see all, even things behind him. It has also been used as a symbol for the Akan idea that the past can help to guide the future or the thought that, if a mistake has been made or something is forgotten, the wrong can be righted and that one can learn from experience. More recently, the sankofa symbol has also alluded to a historic past or heritage that is uniquely African and is remembered with an eye toward building the future.

The pleasing symmetry of the abstract designs that typify many adinkra, along with their clean lines and the subtle visual cues as to their meanings, have made them ideal symbols in tattooing. Whether tattooed as a single symbol or as a group of related symbols, adinkra such as sankofa are typically done in solid black. When looking for a tattoo choice that so completely combines ancient and sometimes mythic images with a rich and often wry traditional wisdom, it is difficult to see what could surpass Akan adinkra.