The ink that is etched in my flesh, that which I chose as my first mark upon my virgin skin, placed between the Power center of my Womb and the Root of my Being: Sankofa, the bird who takes from the past in order to move forward. Do not forget where you come from, nor the lessons you have learned. Use the knowledge to move forward. It is a constant reminder. "Sankofa is an Akan term that literally means, "to go back and get it." One of the Adinkra symbols for Sankofa (seen on the left) depicts a mythical bird flying forward with its head turned backward. The egg in its mouth represents the "gems" or knowledge of the past upon which wisdom is based; it also signifies the generation to come that would benefit from that wisdom. This symbol often is associated with the proverb, “Se wo were fi na wosankofa a yenkyi," which translates to, "It is not wrong to go back for that which you have forgotten." The Akan believe that the past illuminates the present and that the search for knowledge is a life-long process. The pictograph illustrates the quest for knowledge, while the proverb suggests the rightness of such a quest as long as it is based on knowledge of the past."
Posted on: Sat, 13 Jul 2013 03:19:50 +0000
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