first grade lesson

1. West African Inspired Print

2. West African Countries

3. Ghana
Welcome to Ghana. Located in West
Africa, this country is about the size of
Oregon. The region’s vast gold deposits
first attracted Europeans nearly 550
years ago. The area was called the Gold
Coast. Gold remains one of Ghana’s
most important natural resources today.
There are over 100 ethnic groups living
in Ghana. The largest are Akan, Moshi-
Dagbani, Ewe, and Ga. The Ashanti tribe
of the Akan are the largest tribe and
one of the few societies in West Africa
where lineage is traced through the
mother and maternal ancestors.
Listen to music from Ghana!

4. Ashanti People
The Ashanti live in an extended family. The family lives in various
homes or huts that are set up around a courtyard. The head of the
household is usually the oldest brother that lives there. He is chosen
by the elders. He is called either Father or Housefather and is obeyed
by everyone.
Boys are taught to use the talking drums by their mothers' brother.
Talking drums are used for learning the Ashanti language and
spreading news and are also used in ceremonies. The talking drums
are important to the Ashanti and there are very important rituals
involved in them. Girls are taught cooking and housekeeping skills by
their mothers. They also work the fields and bring in necessary
items, such as water, for the group.
The Ashanti have a wide variety of arts. Bark cloth was used for
clothing before weaving was introduced. With weaving, there is
cotton and silk. Women may pick cotton or spin materials into
thread, but only men are allowed to weave. There are different
patterns in weaving, each with its own name. Sometimes the pattern
represents social status, a clan, a saying, or the sex of the one
wearing it. Patterns are not always woven in the cloth. It can also be
stamped on in many designs. Pottery is a skill that is taught to a
daughter by the mother. There are many stages to making pots and
there are many colors of clay available. The Ashanti also do
woodcarving and metal casting.
Kente cloth has a history going back over 400 years and was the cloth of
Kings and still is a traditional ceremonial cloth hand-woven on a horizontal
treadle loom. Strips measuring about 4 inches wide are sewn together into
larger pieces of cloths.
In a total cultural context, kente is more important than just a cloth. It is a
visual representation of history, philosophy, ethics, oral literature, moral
values, social code of conduct, religious beliefs, political thought and aesthetic
principles.
The term kente has its roots in the word kenten which means a basket. The
first kente weavers used raffia fibers to weave cloths that looked like kenten
(a basket); and thus were referred to as kenten ntoma; meaning basket cloth.
The original Asante name of the cloth was nsaduaso or nwontoma, meaning "a
cloth hand-woven on a loom" and is still used today by Asante weavers and
elders..

5. Adinkra Symbols
The Adinkra symbols are believed to have their origin from
Gyaman, a former kingdom in today’s Côte D’Ivoire.
The Asante people around the 19th century then took to
painting of traditional symbols of the Gyamans onto cloth, a
tradition that was well practiced by the latter. Adinkra also
means ‘goodbye’ or ‘farewell’ in Twi the language of the Akan
ethnic group of which Asante is a part. It has therefore been
the tradition of the Akan especially the Asante to wear cloths
decorated with Adinkra symbols on important occasions
especially at funerals of family relations and friends. This is
to signify their sorrow and to bid farewell to the deceased.
Today, the Adinkra cloth is not exclusively worn by the
Asante people. It is worn by other ethnic groups in Ghana on
a variety of social gatherings and festive occasions

7. Printing with Adinkra Symbols
Calabash adinkra stamps carved in Ntonso, Ghana.
Anthony Boakye uses a comb to mark parallel
lines on an adinkra cloth in Ntonso, Ghana.

8. Adinkra Symbols

9. Make an Adinkra Symbol Block Print

10. 1. Practice drawing
some Adinkra
symbols
1. Choose your two
favorite symbols to
fill the squares of
your final design
1. Draw symbols large
enough to fill the
squares
peacemaking/
harmony
learn from
the past

12. Leave blank spaces for
positive shapes
Press in for negative
shapes_

13. Roll ink onto your block with a brayer

14. Press evenly onto your paper and repeat!