|
|
Introduction Task Process Resources Evaluation Conclusion
Introduction
Adinkra is a type of cloth made by the Ashanti
people of Ghana. It is made with commercial cloth and a thick black
homemade dye. The dyers stretch the cloth out on a board and draw
a grid on it with a comb and the dye. Then, they use stamps to fill
the grid square with patterns. For each square, a different stamp
is used.
The Adinkra symbols used on the cloth are
part of a rich tradition of the Ashanti people of West Africa. Dating
back to the 17th century, the clothes adorned with the Adinkra symbols
were only worn during ceremonies to honor the dead. Over time, the
number of symbols has grown. In modern times, the symbols have been
used to decorate every-day clothing as well as household objects.
Task
The arts of a people offer an illuminating
view of its culture - its thought processes, attitudes, beliefs, and values.
Just as written documents materialize history in literate communities,
so in traditional societies, art forms make the intangible past more real.
The purpose of this WebQuest is to learn about traditional African culture,
symbols and symbol making and printing the Adinkra cloth.
Process Complete the following activities in your sketchbook.
Activity #1
| Adinkra symbols are created by cutting a stamp out of the thick skin of a calabash gourd. Before creating symbols, access the following sites and research two symbols. Sketch the symbols and write the proverb or legend that the symbol is based on. Identify (in writing) the connection between the visual symbol and the proverb that inspired it. |
 |
http://www.marshall.edu/akanart/adinkracloth.html
http://users.erols.com/kemet/adinkra.htm
http://www.fredsmith.com/adinkra.htm
Choose a word that describes something positive about yourself. Design a symbol for that word. Write a proverb about the word.
Activity #2
 |
Access the following site. Research the geographic location of Ghana and the Ivory Coast and the history of the Asanti people. How did location of the Asanti people play an important role in their history? What role did the gold trade with the British have on the Asanti tribe? Write several paragraphs about the history of the Asanti in your sketchbook. |
Access the following web site and list 5 steps used in the creation
of a completed Adinkra.
http://www.du.edu/duma/africloth/adinkra.make.html
Further research the process used to create Adinkra in the book,
The Adinkra Dictionary: A Visual Primer on The Language of ADINKRA
by W. Bruce Willis
Introduction Task Process Resources Evaluation Conclusion
Resources
Some additional resourses that will help your research effort:
http://www.dubois.fas.harvard.edu/dubois/narratives/asante/GOLDENST.html
http://www.uiowa.edu/~africart/toc/people/Asante.html
http://www.adire.clara.net/adinkragallery.htm
http://www.ghana.com/republic/adinkra/symbols.html
The Adinkra Dictionary: A Visual Primer on The Language of
ADINKRA by W. Bruce Willis
Activity#1
Student should have copied two Adinkra symbols in his/her sketchbook,
written the legends, and made some connections between the visual symbols
and the text on which it is based. The student should have created
an original symbol based on a positive characteristic and written a supporting
legend.
Activity#2
The student should have written several paragraphs about the history
of the Asanti people.
Activity#3
The student should have a list of at least 5 steps needed to create
an Adinkra cloth . For extra credit, the student should have researched
the process further and added additional information to the five basic
steps.
In Africa, both art and life are intertwined. Because Africa is a vast continent, the traditions and art forms are often specific to a geographic area. The activities included in this web quest are designed to give students a basic knowledge of the culture of Ghana, an introduction to the design of adinkra cloth, and prepare them to explore the creation of the adinkra cloth further.
Follow our progress through the project @
http://www.beallhigh.com/art.shtml
