African world view is replete with symbols. African symbols are “sources of insights into African orientations to life" (N.K. Dzobo "African Symbols and Proverbs as Sources of Knowledge" in Person and Community: Ghanaian Philosophical Studies, I. eds. Kwasi Wiredu and Kwame Gyekye, CRVP.Series II. Africa, VOL.1, 85. Dzobo distinguished signs and symbols in relation to the degree of qualitative information that is conveyed through them. "While signs provide simple information, symbols are used to communicate complex knowledge."(ibid.86-87) Given the diversity of the continent and the attendant whimsical changes in the cultures of the people of Africa, it becomes so difficult to have a uniform classification of symbols symbol systems in the country. However, I will take few examples from one two countries to illustrate my point here. In Ghana, there are six major groups of symbols, said Dzobo. These six groups are adinkra symbols, stool symbols, linguistic staff symbols, religious symbols and oral literary symbols. Each of the symbolic group have information to convey concerning the way of life of the people at every situation they are presented or the history of the society it represents; Adinkra, for example, is a Twi word and derived from one of the popular national cloths of Ghana called adinkra, which means "to say goodbye". The cloth is adorned with black colour background and many artistic such as Owu atwedee, "the ladder of death, everybody will climb it one day to go to God". It is a traditional mourning cloth won in many communities in Ghana at funerals and memorial services to commensurate with the bereaved family and equal send forth the dead person to the land of ancestors.(Ibid. 89-94)
Colour has symbolic meaning in African culture and each colour conveys peculiar information when won or displaced at significant places or situations. The black colour is a symbolic colour for funerals in almost all parts of Africa. It is the official mourning cloth at funerals especially the one that involves a person who died at unripe age-not the death of an old member. The white colour is a symbol of purity and joy, which usually won at funerals especially the type that involves a dead old member. The differences in colours of cloth at funeral services convey different messages albeit they are similar situation, but not taken as the same culturally. One, the death of the young member, is always painful because it is believed that the one has not accomplished his task in the land of the living to give him easy passage to the land of the ancestors. It is in fact taken as a double tragedy on the deceased and the bereaved. The former is going to suffer land of the land of the spirits, which may cause the spirit appear to the relations in form of ghost in the land of the living No bother want to see the ghost of his dead one because of the unpleasant sight that comes with it. The dead of the aged member, on the other hand is a well come death, and the living make merriment to commemorate the decease and perform rituals to herald his easy passage to the land of the ancestors. Often times, where the dead lived a good life and loved by many, the members also wish one not only easy passage to the ancestral world, but show readiness to welcome him into this world again-this informs the African belief in reincarnation. (I.Onyewuenyi, African Belief in Reincarnation) The red colour is a spiritual colour and has a very powerful religious significance. It is the colour of the cloth used to adorn the table in the shrine. For example, in Igbo land, my own ethnic group, the Benins and Yorubas in Nigeria, the red colour is worn is worn by chief priest of the local shrine whenever he is at the shrine perfuming his duty or at the King's palace or any public place where he is called up to perform rituals or sacrifices to the gods for one purpose or the other. This colour is significantly marked out for the Eze muo or Dibia, "the spiritual king or the native doctor" respectively.
Deep blues and reds are the most popular colors for intricate designs in South Africa, with outlines created in black and white. Red is usually reserved for ceremonies and worn by chiefs in Nigeria. Different shades of red denote different tribes. In East Africa, blue beads are thought to enhance fertility.
The complexity of tribes across Africa makes color associations a more local phenomena. In many countries and areas, however, black implies age and wisdom; gold indicates long life; earth tones have positive associations with the grassy savanna; and yellow is reserved for those of high rank.
History of Ashanti Kente Cloth- --More than a Piece of Fabric
A Part of Culture
Symbolic Meanings of Colors
YELLOW in all its variations is associated with the yoke of the egg, ripe and edible fruits and vegetables and also with the mineral gold. In some spiritual purification rituals mashed yarn is rendered yellow with oil palm and served with eggs. It symbolizes sanctity, preciousness, royalty, wealth, spirituality, vitality and fertility.
PINK is associated with the female essence of life. It is viewed as red rendered mild and gentle, and therefore associated with tenderness, calmness, pleasantness, and sweetness. According to Akan social thought, these attributes are generally considered as essential aspects of the female essence.
RED is associated with blood, sacrificial rites and the shedding of blood. Red-eyed mood means a sense of seriousness, readiness for a serious spiritual or political encounter. Red is therefore used as a symbol of heightened spiritual and political mood, sacrifice and struggle.
BLUE is associated with the blue sky, the abode of the Supreme Creator. it is therefore used in a variety of ways to symbolize spiritual sanctity, good fortune, peacefulness, harmony and love related ideas.
GREEN is associated with vegetation, planting, harvesting and herbal medicine. Tender green leaves are usually used to sprinkle water during purification rituals. It symbolizes growth, vitality, fertility, prosperity, fruitfulness, abundant health and spiritual rejuvenation.
PURPLE is viewed in the same way as maroon. It is considered as earth associated with color used in rituals and healing purposes. It is also associated color used in rituals and healing purposes. It is also associated with feminine aspects of life. Purple cloths are mostly worn by females.
MAROON has a close resemblance to red-brown which is associated with the color of Mother Earth. Red-brown is usually obtained from clay and is therefore associated with healing and the power to repel malevolent spirits.
WHITE derives its symbolism from the white part of the egg and from white clay used in spiritual purification, healing, sanctification rites and festive occasions. In some situations it symbolizes contact with ancestral spirits, deities and other unknown spiritual entities such as ghosts. it is used in combination with black, green or yellow to express notion, spirituality, vitality and balance.
GREY derives its symbolism from ash. Ash is used for healing and spiritual cleansing rituals to re-create spiritual balance when spiritual blemish has occurred. It is also used in rituals for protection against malevolent spirits. Grey is therefore associated with spiritual blemish but also with spiritual cleansing.
SILVER is associated with the moon which represents the female essence of life. Silver ornaments are usually worn by women and are used in the context of spiritual purification, naming ceremonies, marriage ceremonies and other community festivals. it symbolizes serenity, purity and joy.
GOLD derives its significance from the commercial value and social prestige associated with the precious mineral. Gold dust and gold nuggets were used as medium of exchange and for making valuable royal ornaments. It symbolizes royalty, wealth, elegance, high status, supreme quality, glory and spiritual purity.
BLACK derives its significance from the notion that new things get darker as they mature; and physical aging comes with spiritual maturity. The Akans blacken most of their ritual objects to increase their spiritual potency. Black symbolizes an intensified spiritual energy, communion with the ancestral spirits, antiquity, spiritual maturity and spiritual potency.
The mystery of Ogun becomes finding the place that will open the portal for that truth. You must bring the divine nature of Ogun to the ritual process of making ebo. In Ajala there is an important connection to the idea of color symbolism. In Africa Ogun's color is pure red. Then we have Sango whose colors are red and white. The color for Obatala is white. We can see a pattern emerging here. Red represents virility, vitality, ggression. Red and white represents balance between aggression and compassion. White represents the incarnation of mystical unity.
Symbols and Color in African Clothing By Shayla Williams
In each region of Africa, the style and colors of garments are a reflection of whom you are and where you are from. For instance, in certain parts of Nigeria, red is seen as a threatening color which can only be worn by chiefs. The color is believed to keep evil away. In other regions, red is the color of achievement or success. Adinkra cloth is worn typically at funerals and farewells. Dark colored adinkra cloth in brick red, brown or black symbolizes death. Alternately, bright colored adinkra cloth in white, yellow or blue is worn for festive or happy occasions. Adinkra cloth is still very popular in Ghana today.
Kente cloth made by the Fante of Ghana has many different designs and colors with various meanings. Red is the symbol of bloodshed and is frequently worn for political meetings and rallies. Green represents fertility and you can see it worn often during a young girl's adolescence. White symbolizes purity or victory. Yellow represents maturity or glory and chiefs frequently wear this color. Blue symbolizes love, and black represents aging.
Knowing the symbolic meanings of color and design in African clothing helps one to have a greater sense of the culture and the rich history of the African styles that one can find today. Whatever your ethnic heritage may be, you can find an African style that reflects your identity and your good taste too. There are a lot of choices, but the variety and the quality are there for you, so enjoy.
posted
Color symbolism in ancient Egypt (non-comic book version) . Also keep in mind the Egyptians did not refer to the various Libyan tribes some of whom were light skinned as "white" people (Egyptian word: 'hedj' not applied) The various Libyan tribes were called the Tamahu, Tjehenu, the Libu (or Ribu), and the Meshwesh and are not identified by skin color names or have references by skin color. In the art they are not depicted in white. They are sometimes shown as light beige in color or light brown. Sometimes the Kushites are depicted in black and also Egyptian underworld (Duat) dieties or Pharaohs representing as Osiris.
-keep in mind color symbolism varies in different parts of Africa. Egyptian views did not set the standard, there was no centralized influence on the continent.
COLORS OF ANCIENT EGYPT By Alistair Boddy-Evans
Color (Ancient Egyptian name 'iwen') was considered an integral part of an item's or person's nature in Ancient Egypt, and the term could interchangeably mean color, appearance, character, being, or nature. Items with similar color were believed to have similar properties.
Colors were often paired: silver and gold were considered complementary colors (i.e. they formed a duality of opposites just like the sun and moon). Red complemented white (think of the double crown Ancient Egypt), and green and black represented different aspects of the process of regeneration. Where a procession of figures is depicted, the skin tones alternate between light and dark ochre.
Purity of colour was important to Ancient Egyptians and the artist would usually complete everything in one color before moving on to the next. Paintings would be finished off with fine brushwork to outline the work and add limited interior detail.
The degree to which Ancient Egyptian artists and craftsmen mixed colors varies according to dynasty. But even at its most creative, color mixing was not widely spread. Unlike today's pigments which give consistent results, several of those available to Ancient Egyptian artists could react chemically with each other, for example lead white when mixed with orpiment (yellow) actually produces black.
Black (Ancient Egyptian name 'kem') was the color of the life-giving silt left by the Nile inundation, which gave rise to the Ancient Egyptian name for the country: 'kemet' – the black land. Black symbolized fertility, new life, and resurrection as seen through the yearly agricultural cycle. It was also the color of Osiris ('the black one'), the resurrected god of the dead, and was considered the color of the underworld where the sun was said to regenerate every night. Black was often used on statues and coffins to invoke the process of regeneration ascribed to the god Osiris. Black was also used as a standard color for hair and to represent the skin colour of people from the south – Nubians and Kushites.
White (Ancient Egyptian name 'hedj') was the color of purity, sacredness, cleanliness, and simplicity. Tools, sacred objects, and even priest's sandals were white for this reason. Sacred animals were also depicted as white. Clothing, which was often just undyed linen, was usually depicted as white.
Silver (also known by the name 'hedj', but written with the determinative for precious metal) represented the color of the sun at dawn, and the moon, and stars. Silver was a rarer metal than gold in Ancient Egypt and held a greater value.
Blue (Ancient Egyptian name 'irtyu') was the color of the heavens, the dominion of the gods, as well as the color of water, the yearly inundation, and the primeval flood. Although Ancient Egyptians favored semi-precious stones such as azurite (Ancient Egyptian name 'tefer') and lapis lazuli (Ancient Egyptian name 'khesbedj', imported at great cost across the Sinai Desert) for jewelery and inlay, technology was advanced enough to produce the world's first synthetic pigment, known since medieval times as Egyptian blue. Depending on the degree to which the pigment Egyptian blue was ground, the color could vary from a rich, dark blue (coarse) to a pale, ethereal blue (very fine).
Blue was used for the hair of gods (specifically lapis lazuli, or the darkest of Egyptian blues) and for the face of the god Amun – a practice which was extended to those Pharaohs associated with him.
Green (Ancient Egyptian name 'wahdj') was the color of fresh growth, vegetation, new life, and resurrection (the latter along with the color black). The hieroglyph for green is a papyrus stem and frond.
Green was the color of the 'Eye of Horus', or 'Wedjat', which had healing and protective powers, and so the color also represented well-being. To do 'green things' was to do behave in a positive, life affirming manner.
When written with the determinative for minerals (three grains of sand) 'wahdj' becomes the word for malachite, a color which represented joy.
As with blue, the Ancient Egyptians could also manufacture a green pigment – verdigris (Ancient Egyptian name 'hes-byah' – which actually means copper or bronze dross (rust). Unfortunately, verdigris reacts with sulphides, such as the yellow pigment orpiment, and turns black. (Mediaeval artists would use a special glaze over the top of verdigris to protect it.)
Turquoise (Ancient Egyptian name 'mefkhat'), a particularly valued green-blue stone from the Sinai, also represented joy, as well as the color of the sun's rays at dawn. Through the deity Hathor, the Lady of Turquoise, who controlled the destiny of new-born babies, it can be considered a color of promise and foretelling.
Yellow (Ancient Egyptian name 'khenet') was the color of women's skin, as well as the skin of people who lived near the Mediterranean - Libyans, Bedouin, Syrians, and Hittites. Yellow was also the color of the sun and, along with gold, could represent perfection. As with blue and green, the Ancient Egyptians produced a synthetic yellow – lead antimonite – its Ancient Egyptian name, however, is unknown.
Red (Ancient Egyptian name 'deshr') was primarily the color of chaos and disorder – the color of the desert (Ancient Egyptian name 'deshret', the red land) which was considered the opposite of the fertile black land ('kemet'). One of the principal red pigments, red ochre, was obtained from the desert. (The hieroglyph for red is the hermit ibis, a bird which, unlike the other ibis of Egypt, lives in dry areas and eats insects and small creatures.)
Red was also the color of destructive fire and fury, and was used to represent something dangerous.
Through its relation to the desert, red became the color of the god Seth, the traditional god of chaos, and was associated with death – the desert was a place where people were exiled or sent to work in mines. The desert was also regarded as the entrance to the underworld where the sun disappeared each night.
As chaos, red was considered the opposite to the color white. In terms of death it was the opposite of green and black.
However, this most potent of all colors in Ancient Egypt, was also a color of life and protection – derived from the color of blood and the life-supporting power of fire. It was therefore commonly used for protective amulets.
Posts: 42919 | From: , | Registered: Jan 2010
| IP: Logged |
posted
In Ancient Egypt and in modern Africa there is no such thing as 'White people'; light skinned or pale people are referred to as 'Red people'- Drosh, Trosh, Dresh, Throsh...
Kemu: to behave as a Black; to act seemly, proper... Posts: 3344 | From: Berkeley | Registered: Oct 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
It's funny how prejudiced, biased and slanted you guys could be without even realizing it.
In Indian society they have a "red" warrior class, "white" ("Brahmin") educator (holy men too) class, a "black" worker class.
Probably this is due to the influence of the Kemetian mystery system.
It's funny how in the book of Revelations, the black of the four horses has a colour which many modern scholars find they just have to at least toy with the possibility of having some simple "death destroy consume and sadness" connotation.
Despite the fact death (followed by hell) rode the "pale" (actually probably "blotchy", but got translated as "pale" -- maybe the word meant pale too who knows) horse. Despite the fact the red horse's rider has the power to make war with whomever he pleases. Despite the white horse being the bearer of the crowned conquerer.
The black horse's rider bears scales and balances, and scholars have to painstakenly come to the conclusion that these may have to do with prices (as the words here imply something that needs to be exact) despite the fact that the next lines explicitly say "be careful not to let the price of" [whathaveyou] [do whateva] "and to watch the price of" [yadayada] and the words have something to do with wages. Who's wages? WORKERS wages. It's clearly about money.
I forget the fourth Indian color class mentioned in the article.
Back on this subject, gods and sometimes men and women were painted gold or jet black either or being alive or otherwise (afterlife). One thing that has always caused me curiousity is how much red is in a lot of paintings of Kemetian men. Women and Asiatics get a yellow added for a golden brown effect but men *most* times get red, and I thought they greatly disliked Asiatics whom they considered red but there are different time periods to consider and paint fades (or is cleaned and restored and often not doing justice to the original) as I understand and this may be nothing anyway really. Yeah, it's probably nothing come to think of it. The yellow is likely added to portray relative lightness, as every other Nehhesu often gets painted reddish brown.
Posts: 5555 | From: Tha 5th Dimension. | Registered: Apr 2006
| IP: Logged |
posted
I am really skeptical about the color symbolism in any society being used to refer directly to skin color. However, many people are making the error that ''black'' because of its association with death has negative connotations. This is a product of western/Judeo-Christian values which emphasize death is a disconnect from the living world. In ancient Egypt and most African cultures the world of the living are fully integrated into the world of the dead. Ancestor veneration is a vital part of ancient Egyptian religious practices. Ancient Egyptians did not see the world of the dead as something negative but actually positive. Any color associated with death would have actually been positive instead of negative.
Posts: 8675 | From: Tukuler al~Takruri as Ardo since OCT2014 | Registered: Feb 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
What up ausar. Was thinking the same thing, and, that I did not mean to dissociate black from death completely (which is why I mentioned both it and gold's connection to the "dead" a.k.a. afterlive and living).
Posts: 5555 | From: Tha 5th Dimension. | Registered: Apr 2006
| IP: Logged |
quote:Originally posted by ausar: I am really skeptical about the color symbolism in any society being used to refer directly to skin color. However, many people are making the error that ''black'' because of its association with death has negative connotations. This is a product of western/Judeo-Christian values which emphasize death is a disconnect from the living world. In ancient Egypt and most African cultures the world of the living are fully integrated into the world of the dead. Ancestor veneration is a vital part of ancient Egyptian religious practices. Ancient Egyptians did not see the world of the dead as something negative but actually positive. Any color associated with death would have actually been positive instead of negative.
Black was associated with Osiris, no? Can people in the afterlife genuinely be considered "dead"? What is meant here when scholars refer to "death"? Of course death is always negative but if Black instead symbolizes resurrection and animation in the afterlife, then can we literally say that Black symbolizes death, per se? After all, as you say the AE concept of "death" was different than the Western tradition of death. Can it instead simply be said to symbolize resurrection in the afterlife?
I agree that the association with skin color is a joke and I believe certain ES members have definitely been wasting their time on that.
Posts: 4021 | From: Bay Area, CA | Registered: Mar 2007
| IP: Logged |
posted
...the social-political world of 'political correctness'...
"I am really skeptical about the color symbolism in any society being used to refer directly to skin color."
"I agree that the association with skin color is a joke..."
meets the social-political world of actual scientific research/reality...
"The Chinese called the Europeans 'Fan Kuei' or foreign red devils, a detail which can easily escape the undiscerning eye of a non-student of Asian history."
"Gwai Lo (鬼佬) literally means "ghost man"(the word "ghost" refers to the paler complexions of stereotypical Caucasians). The term is sometimes translated into English as foreign devil"
quote:Originally posted by Whatbox: WHO's wages? It's clearly about money.
I made a mistake: just like the black horse's rider's scales and balances of the implied, I've read the words used connote exactitude, propper-ness, or something that needs to be or best be done that way.
And I meant to mention that the last (pale) horse might have been blotchy and / or a yellowish light greenish color to imply sickness: translated there simply as "pale". Revelations isn't the only book the horses are mentioned though.
*****
In India:
Brahmin = white priest / educator class
Kshatriyas = red warrior / executive class
Sudra = black worker / gig class
Vaisya = yellow merchant class
There is a description of, for the red, white, yellow and black in India: Kshatriyas (red) - from Purusha's arms, Brahmin (white) - from mouth, Vaisya (yellow) - from thighs, and Sudra (black) - from feet respectively. Lot of Indians say these colors are not literal though.
In Kemet:
Most people just repeat that the black name for the ancient pharaonic egyptian-sudanese state comes from an appreciation of the ground, the earth there (in the Nile Valley), which compared to elsewhere in the Sahara or MidEast was black and contrasted with the red desert. I would not really confuse darkness with blackness though. The ground is there whether you're aware of it or not.
In the kemetian context black gold, white and probably other colors figured into things having to do with death.
Dual meanings:
Also there seem to be good and bad meanings when it comes to some things though (which in the Egyptian context makes me wonder about the Hall of Two Truths or of the Double Truth or whatever). Death (like in the valley of the dry bones) and sleep can universally infer a person or a people slidding, spiritually being in a bad state but it can also infer rebirth.
Clarity:
I also wouldn't equate purity with white -- even in the aforementioned book, Rev., in the very last chapter or so there is mention of pure water which is clear and light which is clear and pure. White reflects light like a source of light does, black absorbs it.
Posts: 5555 | From: Tha 5th Dimension. | Registered: Apr 2006
| IP: Logged |
quote:Originally posted by ausar: I am really skeptical about the color symbolism in any society being used to refer directly to skin color. However, many people are making the error that ''black'' because of its association with death has negative connotations. This is a product of western/Judeo-Christian values which emphasize death is a disconnect from the living world. In ancient Egypt and most African cultures the world of the living are fully integrated into the world of the dead. Ancestor veneration is a vital part of ancient Egyptian religious practices.
Ancient Egyptians did not see the world of the dead as something negative but actually positive. Any color associated with death would have actually been positive instead of negative.
Correct. In fact I dare say the source Lyingass cited about Yoruba color symbolism though true as it is today maybe the result of centuries of European since Africans who have NOT been influenced much at all especially by Judeo-Christian religion do not have such color schemes where black has negative connotations.
The Egyptian religion is best compared to other East African religions.
The Maasai believe in one God, whom they call Ngai. Ngai is neither male nor female, but seems to have several different aspects. For instance, there is the saying Naamoni aiyai, which means "The She to whom I pray". There are two main manifestations of Ngai: Ngai Narok which is good and benevolent and is black; and Ngai Na-nyokie, which is angry and red, like the British...
Oromos believe that Waaqa Tokkicha (the one God) created the world, including them. They call this supreme being Waaqa Guuracha (the Black God). Most Oromos still believe that it was this God who created heaven and earth and other living and non-living things. Waaqa also created ayaana (spiritual connection), through which he connects himself to his creatures. The Oromo story of creation starts with the element of water, since it was the only element that existed before other elements.Posts: 26238 | From: Atlanta, Georgia, USA | Registered: Feb 2005
| IP: Logged |
quote:Originally posted by Sundjata: Black was associated with Osiris, no? Can people in the afterlife genuinely be considered "dead"? What is meant here when scholars refer to "death"? Of course death is always negative but if Black instead symbolizes resurrection and animation in the afterlife, then can we literally say that Black symbolizes death, per se? After all, as you say the AE concept of "death" was different than the Western tradition of death. Can it instead simply be said to symbolize resurrection in the afterlife?
I agree that the association with skin color is a joke and I believe certain ES members have definitely been wasting their time on that.
Black wasn't just associated with Ausar (Osiris) but ALL gods associated with regeneration and rebirth.
Ausar in his form of Kem-Wer (Great Black)
The sky goddess Nut who gives life to the sun god in stages from morning, noon, and sunset.
So you see. It is NOT about death but process of transformation into new life.
Posts: 26238 | From: Atlanta, Georgia, USA | Registered: Feb 2005
| IP: Logged |
posted
^^^^this is funny because it is a Christian oriented word that keeps being used "resurrection"
But it is not appropriate here, the spin unnecessary, reactionary.
In the Christian tradition there is a similar situation, an afterlife paradise called Heaven but the word resurrection is not used. They don't say you are "resurrected in heaven". In religious traditions resurrection means that you are revived from being dead back into the world of the living.
The Egyptian afterlife is not all peaches and cream in an effort to justify our feel good need to put a positive spin on the black color symbolism associated with Gods within it, still worried that it might have a skin associated with it. But we keep forgetting that The Egyptians depicted themselves as brown not jet black anyway. We are so indoctrinated into the word "black" meaning dark skinned people etc. that we feel a need to address any mention or depiction of the color defensively.
To use the word "resurrection" is a pathetic effort to cover up the word "dead".
In both the Christian and Egyptian tradition you die and are dead dead dead you are not "resurrected" you are judged first and then your soul goes to heaven or hell. On the way to these place as per Egypt are first within the Duat where you are put under trials and tribulations and can be attacked by demons. If you get through this and pass the judgment you live in paradise. If not you go to the Egyptian version of hell so it is simplistic fluffiness to try to spin the afterlife as being all wonderful and rebirth-like. How about the fact you might get tortured in the Egyptian hell if you messed up?
_________________________
The principal sources for our knowledge of the Egyptian concept of hell are the Books of the Netherworld which are found inscribed on the walls of the royal tombs of the New Kingdom in the Valley of the Kings at Thebes, and then later on papyrus and other funerary objects belonging to commoners.
The concept of hell in the ancient Egyptian religion is very similar to those of our modern religions. Those who were judged unfavorably faced a very similar fate to our modern concept of hell, and perhaps even more specifically to the more Middle Age concept of it as a specific region beneath the earth. For the damned, the entire, uncontrollable rage of the deity was directed against those who were condemned through their evils. They were tortured in every imaginable way and "destroyed", thus being consigned to nonexistence. They were deprived of their sense organs, were required to walk on their heads and eat their own excrement. They were burned in ovens and cauldrons and were forced to swim in their own blood, which Shezmu, the god of the wine press, squeezed out of them.
One difference between our modern concept of heaven and the ancient Egyptian one is that even the blessed faced perilous obstacles in the Netherworld, such as demons that guarded the gates of the netherworld, which required a knowledge of spells to overcome. It sometimes appear that they had to travel through the same hell of the damned, but conceptually, at least, they occupied a very different space. This nocturnal journey of the blessed, along with the sun god through the underworld was not a prominent theme in the oldest royal mortuary literature, the Pyramid Text and the descriptions of hell are therefore absent from these spells. By contrast, the concept that emerges from the Books of the Netherworld is reflected in the non-royal funerary spells found in the Coffin Text and the Book of the Dead (The Book of Coming Forth by Day), even though these do not contain elaborate descriptions of hell either. That is not very surprising, considering that these spells take for granted that their owners will not be judged favorably in the weighing of their hearts in the afterlife. Spells that mention the dangers of the world of the damned, which the blessed dead pass on their nightly journey are plentiful, but these spells are aimed principally at steering clear of such dangers, and the subject of the fate of the damned is therefore usually avoided as well.
Did ancient Egypt provide the standard for color symbolism throughout Africa? No there was no standard but different traditions in different locales, but we like to pretend ancient Egypt was the Washington D.C. of Africa.
Posts: 42919 | From: , | Registered: Jan 2010
| IP: Logged |
quote:Originally posted by Wally: ...the social-political world of 'political correctness'...
"I am really skeptical about the color symbolism in any society being used to refer directly to skin color."
"I agree that the association with skin color is a joke..."
meets the social-political world of actual scientific research/reality...
"The Chinese called the Europeans 'Fan Kuei' or foreign red devils, a detail which can easily escape the undiscerning eye of a non-student of Asian history."
"Gwai Lo (鬼佬) literally means "ghost man"(the word "ghost" refers to the paler complexions of stereotypical Caucasians). The term is sometimes translated into English as foreign devil"
...as in Ancient China, also in Ancient Africa...
Notice the racial lunacy of Wally. He just said earlier:
quote:Originally posted by Wally: [QB] In Ancient Egypt and in modern Africa there is no such thing as 'White people'; light skinned or pale people are referred to as 'Red people'- Drosh, Trosh, Dresh, Throsh...
Now he's trying to associate whiteness with dead things. yet when the word "black" is brought up it's all about power, growth and resurrection with a little footnote in small print indicating that the person had died first. Earlier had said the Egyptians called so called" white people "red". Now he sweeps that under the rug shows what he thinks is an Egyptian ghost and starts talking about Caucasians in the same paragraph. -not even talking about how white as a color is used in general symbolism in an attempt to racialize colors by attaching the word "skin" to each color as he did in his earlier graphic. transparent what is being attempted
Posts: 42919 | From: , | Registered: Jan 2010
| IP: Logged |
quote:Originally posted by the lioness: ^^^^this is funny because it is a Christian oriented word that keeps being used "resurrection"
Sundjiata likely mentioned it due to the fact they thought they came back to life with their same body, or at least the practice of mummification and attention given to preserving themselves in burials suggest this.
quote:peaches and cream in an effort to justify our feel good need
This psycho-babble belongs elsewhere, this is a discussion of symbolism in African cultures as per title, not an ad-hominem thread fueled by lionesses projections of her own inner feelings onto others (you have three fingers pointing back at you).
quote: still worried that it might have a skin associated with it.
Why inject that into this thread? You were the first one to mention skin.
quote:To use the word "resurrection" is a pathetic effort to cover up the word "dead".
In both the Christian and Egyptian tradition you die and are dead dead dead you are not "resurrected" you are judged first and then your soul goes to heaven or hell. On the way to these place as per Egypt are first within the Duat where you are put under trials and tribulations and can be attacked by demons. If you get through this and pass the judgment you live in paradise. If not you go to the Egyptian version of hell so it is simplistic fluffiness to try to spin the afterlife as being all wonderful and rebirth-like.
WTF? Who said anything other than that you had to be judged by Osiris but you? I'm remembering why I usually have your posts on ignore.
quote:Djehuti sed:
Seen it before, but: this is interesting. You could say she's looking right (East) towards Khepera (beetle thingy) the dawning sun and behind her head is the red sphere the sun "dying" at sunset. Also towards the right is Khnum designer of the cosmos.
lioness: It is true was was posted by Djehuti -- at night Nut (sky deity) was thought to injest the sun and at night the sun was thought to regenerate. During this process the sun was thought to be black (though above the sun looks red, unless that is the moon). Here she (Nut) is also depicted as black. Isis, whom every source you can find will tell you is a deity associated with *life* is called "kem wer" as is Horus. And I've seen a few depictions of live royals depicted as such (obviously symbolically -- even Nhhsw to the South were routinely depicted brown but though darker not jet black). Gold, green, white and black and even their brown skin colours all figured into depictions of the afterlife.
Posts: 5555 | From: Tha 5th Dimension. | Registered: Apr 2006
| IP: Logged |
quote:Originally posted by the lyingass: ^^^^this is funny because it is a Christian oriented word that keeps being used "resurrection"
Obviously the idea predates Christianity by many thousands of years, so why identify it with Christianity??
quote:peaches and cream in an effort to justify our feel good need
Who is "our"?! Speak for yourself only!!
quote: still worried that it might have a skin associated with it.
It has nothing to do with skin color, though the Egyptians did acknowledge they are dark of skin not fair.
quote:To use the word "resurrection" is a pathetic effort to cover up the word "dead".
No, stupid. Dead means dead while resurrection means live again, dummy.
quote:In both the Christian and Egyptian tradition you die and are dead dead dead you are not "resurrected" you are judged first and then your soul goes to heaven or hell. On the way to these place as per Egypt are first within the Duat where you are put under trials and tribulations and can be attacked by demons. If you get through this and pass the judgment you live in paradise. If not you go to the Egyptian version of hell so it is simplistic fluffiness to try to spin the afterlife as being all wonderful and rebirth-like.
Incorrect. Nowhere in the Bible or specifically in Jewish belief did say those judged guilty would spend eternity in hell. Everyone that dies, their soul goes to Sheol which is the resting place or repository of souls. That was the general belief among early Israelites. Of course there were many speculations about what else could happen. The belief in 'Hell' at least the description provided in Biblical New Testament was that those found guilty of wickedness their souls would be consumed as if by fire until it was no more. In other words total oblivion or true death. Again, thousands of years before there were Israelites, the Egyptians believed the souls of those guilty of sin would be consumed by a beastly goddess called Ammut.
quote:Originally posted by Whatbox: It is true was was posted by Djehuti -- at night Nut (sky deity) was thought to injest the sun and at night the sun was thought to regenerate. During this process the sun was thought to be black (though above the sun looks red, unless that is the moon). Here she (Nut) is also depicted as black. Isis, whom every source you can find will tell you is a deity associated with *life* is called "kem wer" as is Horus. And I've seen a few depictions of live royals depicted as such (obviously symbolically -- even Nhhsw to the South were routinely depicted brown but though darker not jet black). Gold, green, white and black and even their brown skin colours all figured into depictions of the afterlife.
Just to make one little correction,... The title for Aset (Isis) would be Kem Weret because she is female, but yes you are absolutely right. The belief that that the sun had a cycle of child in the morning, youth in the noon and elder when he set in the evening to be consumed by Nut and then reborn from her again. The painting I posted very much symbolizes this.
Here is a pectoral of King Tut granted new life from the Memphite divine couple Sekhmet and Ptah.
Posts: 26238 | From: Atlanta, Georgia, USA | Registered: Feb 2005
| IP: Logged |
posted
To be flat out blunt here is what the colours represent:
Red represents something that is uncontrollable -- it has associations with carnal primal desires of the flesh, like to procreate, and to eat (zombie reminiscent). It is also associated with love and demons.
Gold / yellow represents something unchanging, like truth. Gold being shiny / metallic is more indestructable though.
Green represents growth, what is brought on or developed.
Blue, a color often used to depict gods as opposed to mortals, represents the true inconsequential ability to choose.
White / silver actually turns out to represent victory (though in the past I always thought represented clarity and purity).
Black represents immutability and permanence favorable or otherwise. Like the fact that no matter what maneuvers you try there will always be more than one pigeon in at least one hole in the pigeon hole principle.
The green grew from the black and gold.
I can see how they gave the same word for black ("kem") an alternate meaning of "ultimate / complete".
I can also guess how it might have been used philosophically -- in order to help people become emotionally cooler.
quote:Originally posted by anguishofbeing:
quote:Originally posted by Exiiled: It's okay. Libya had ugly socialist architecture anyway. They have more than 80 Billion to rebuild their country.
Ideologues tend to be dogmatic about ends, casual about means. You are just as ideological (and blood thirty) as Bin Laden.
^If your end is to stay healthily alive and therefore to stave off a rabid zombified Dick Cheney are you formal about your means or more casual?
posted
Collective page on African traditions and symbolism.
African peoples often symbolize death by the colour white rather than black; at the same time, many African cultures see white as the colour that links them to their ancestors, and it can therefore have a positive meaning.
Pictures / photos / images of some MASKS and headdresses in the collection of antique, classical, ethnic, ethnographic, ethno-tribal, native, ritual, traditional, tribal, so-called "primitive" art from Sub-Saharan black Africa
Many African societies see masks as mediators between the living world and the supernatural world of the dead, ancestors and other entities. Masks became and still become the attribute of a dressed up dancer who gave it life and word at the time of ceremonies.
In producing a mask, a sculptor's aim is to depict a person's psychological and moral characteristics, rather than provide a portrait.
The sculptor begins by cutting a piece of wood and leaving it to dry in the sun; if it cracks, it cannot be used for a mask. African sculptors see wood as a complex living material and believe each piece can add its own feature to their work. Having made certain the wood is suitable, the sculptor begins, using an azde to carve the main features, a chisel to work on details and a rough leaf to sand the piece.
He then paints the mask with pigments such as charcoal (to give a black colour), powders made from vegetable matter or trees (for ochre/earth tones) or mineral powders like clay (to give a white colour).
African peoples often symbolize death by the colour white rather than black; at the same time, many African cultures see white as the colour that links them to their ancestors, and it can therefore have a positive meaning.
The second face.
I am not myself.
The attributions of the origin of the objects is based on their stylistic and physical characteristics and/or on the data provided by the seller and/or experts, but of course certainty cannot be reached.
The objects shown variable age, artistic quality, and degree of authenticity.
Some of the pieces are available for exchange for instance, due to an increasing lack of space.
"The peoples that are called “Fang” in the geographic and ethnographic literature constitute a vast mosaic of village communities, established in a large zone of Atlantic equatorial Africa comprising south Cameroon, continental equatorial Guinea and nearly the whole north of Gabon, on the right bank of the Ogowe River. They are principally hunters, but also farm. Fang social structure is based on the clan, a group of individuals with a common ancestor, and on the family. The habitat is very dispersed, in groups of dwellings that most often include members of a single lineage, the fundamental element of the patriarchal family.
The Fang used masks in their secret societies. The ngontang mask symbolizes a ‘young white girl’. Despite its name, the mask was danced only by initiated men. This helmet mask with four faces is colored with white pigments. These masks were worn in a ritual of the Bieri cult revering departed ancestors. Among the Fang people, the white is the color of the dead, and those with white faces have come to visit the living, bringing magic from the realm of the supernatural. The ngontang masks were used during funeral ceremonies and births. Today such masks serve primarily to entertain audiences on festive occasions."
These masks were worn in a ritual of the Bieri cult revering departed ancestors. Among the Fang people, the white is the color of the dead, and those with white faces have come to visit the living, bringing magic from the realm of the supernatura l.
The size of the crest determines the magic power of the mask. Mask, colors, and costume all have symbolic meaning. The dancer who wears the male mask will display aggressive and uncontrolled behavior with the aim of encouraging social conformity, whereas the dancer who wears the female mask display more gentle and controlled movements and is assumed to be associated with reproduction ceremonies. The use of white on the mask symbolizes positive concepts such as purity and peace, the moon and light. Red is associated with blood and fire, courage and fortitude, but also with danger and evil. Female masks essentially reflect positive forces and appear principally in dances held at night, such as during lunar ceremonies and at the investiture or death of a ruler.
The BAMBARA live in MALI on the Bani River and on both sides of the Upper Niger, and are an important MANDE speaking tribe. They number almost a million and are the heirs of two kingdoms, SEGU (1660-1881) and KAARTA (1670-1851). The BAMARA believe in the great light and creator god FARO , a kind of redeemer and organizer of the universe who is enthroned in the seventh heaven and sends rain which brings fertility. The sacred colour white is used in sacrifices and at one time, the most beautiful girl was richly adorned and sacrificed at the riverside each year as his bride.
According to the myth, FARO bestowed upon man their conscience, order and purity, as well as a sense of responsibility. FARO also created female twins and through his messenger, the swallow he made them pregnant and brought into being the first BAMBARA. For this reason, twins are regarded as being the bringers of good fortune.
Female masks are predominantly white with a few touches of black (eyelids, nose, sagital line, chin) and red (mouth, eyes), whereas in male masks the dominant color is red, with black and white highlights. According to some of my initiated Songye friends, white is perceived as a peaceful color associated with purity and the spirits, red is considered a more active color often associated with blood and vital power , and black is linked with secrecy and witchcraft.
African peoples often symbolize death by the colour white rather than black; at the same time, many African cultures see white as the colour that links them to their ancestors, and it can therefore have a positive meaning.
posted
Some pretty dark things are associated with black in the West, some cool things:
When I think who wears black, I usually think of
Nuns, a lot of musicians, many mourners, grooms, businessmen & businesswomen, politicians, priests, priestesses, formal people, and now since black "has become the new blue" (and since pink has not yet "become the new black [that was blue]" last i heard) celebs and common people dressing cool.
Gold / yellow represents something unchanging, like truth. Gold being shiny / metallic is more indestructable though.
The future Yerusalem, the city itself is described as:
"And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass." - Rev. 21:18
so though its rivers and its light are described as clear (which is ideal water for me) I'd like to think of the "gold" factoring into it being a city of light.
quote:Originally posted by Ish Gebor: Collective page on African traditions and symbolism.
African peoples often symbolize death by the colour white rather than black; at the same time, many African cultures see white as the colour that links them to their ancestors, and it can therefore have a positive meaning.
Pictures / photos / images of some MASKS and headdresses in the collection of antique, classical, ethnic, ethnographic, ethno-tribal, native, ritual, traditional, tribal, so-called "primitive" art from Sub-Saharan black Africa
Many African societies see masks as mediators between the living world and the supernatural world of the dead, ancestors and other entities. Masks became and still become the attribute of a dressed up dancer who gave it life and word at the time of ceremonies.
In producing a mask, a sculptor's aim is to depict a person's psychological and moral characteristics, rather than provide a portrait.
The sculptor begins by cutting a piece of wood and leaving it to dry in the sun; if it cracks, it cannot be used for a mask. African sculptors see wood as a complex living material and believe each piece can add its own feature to their work. Having made certain the wood is suitable, the sculptor begins, using an azde to carve the main features, a chisel to work on details and a rough leaf to sand the piece.
He then paints the mask with pigments such as charcoal (to give a black colour), powders made from vegetable matter or trees (for ochre/earth tones) or mineral powders like clay (to give a white colour).
African peoples often symbolize death by the colour white rather than black; at the same time, many African cultures see white as the colour that links them to their ancestors, and it can therefore have a positive meaning.
The second face.
I am not myself.
The attributions of the origin of the objects is based on their stylistic and physical characteristics and/or on the data provided by the seller and/or experts, but of course certainty cannot be reached.
The objects shown variable age, artistic quality, and degree of authenticity.
Some of the pieces are available for exchange for instance, due to an increasing lack of space.
"The peoples that are called “Fang” in the geographic and ethnographic literature constitute a vast mosaic of village communities, established in a large zone of Atlantic equatorial Africa comprising south Cameroon, continental equatorial Guinea and nearly the whole north of Gabon, on the right bank of the Ogowe River. They are principally hunters, but also farm. Fang social structure is based on the clan, a group of individuals with a common ancestor, and on the family. The habitat is very dispersed, in groups of dwellings that most often include members of a single lineage, the fundamental element of the patriarchal family.
The Fang used masks in their secret societies. The ngontang mask symbolizes a ‘young white girl’. Despite its name, the mask was danced only by initiated men. This helmet mask with four faces is colored with white pigments. These masks were worn in a ritual of the Bieri cult revering departed ancestors. Among the Fang people, the white is the color of the dead, and those with white faces have come to visit the living, bringing magic from the realm of the supernatural. The ngontang masks were used during funeral ceremonies and births. Today such masks serve primarily to entertain audiences on festive occasions."
These masks were worn in a ritual of the Bieri cult revering departed ancestors. Among the Fang people, the white is the color of the dead, and those with white faces have come to visit the living, bringing magic from the realm of the supernatura l.
The size of the crest determines the magic power of the mask. Mask, colors, and costume all have symbolic meaning. The dancer who wears the male mask will display aggressive and uncontrolled behavior with the aim of encouraging social conformity, whereas the dancer who wears the female mask display more gentle and controlled movements and is assumed to be associated with reproduction ceremonies. The use of white on the mask symbolizes positive concepts such as purity and peace, the moon and light. Red is associated with blood and fire, courage and fortitude, but also with danger and evil. Female masks essentially reflect positive forces and appear principally in dances held at night, such as during lunar ceremonies and at the investiture or death of a ruler.
The BAMBARA live in MALI on the Bani River and on both sides of the Upper Niger, and are an important MANDE speaking tribe. They number almost a million and are the heirs of two kingdoms, SEGU (1660-1881) and KAARTA (1670-1851). The BAMARA believe in the great light and creator god FARO , a kind of redeemer and organizer of the universe who is enthroned in the seventh heaven and sends rain which brings fertility. The sacred colour white is used in sacrifices and at one time, the most beautiful girl was richly adorned and sacrificed at the riverside each year as his bride.
According to the myth, FARO bestowed upon man their conscience, order and purity, as well as a sense of responsibility. FARO also created female twins and through his messenger, the swallow he made them pregnant and brought into being the first BAMBARA. For this reason, twins are regarded as being the bringers of good fortune.
Female masks are predominantly white with a few touches of black (eyelids, nose, sagital line, chin) and red (mouth, eyes), whereas in male masks the dominant color is red, with black and white highlights. According to some of my initiated Songye friends, white is perceived as a peaceful color associated with purity and the spirits, red is considered a more active color often associated with blood and vital power , and black is linked with secrecy and witchcraft.
African peoples often symbolize death by the colour white rather than black; at the same time, many African cultures see white as the colour that links them to their ancestors, and it can therefore have a positive meaning.
Yes, I have seen many voodoo and other African religious rituals where people would wear white makeup via white powder or paste. Sometimes they would simply cake it on their faces or they would cover their whole bodies in it and then sometimes dance as part a celebration of the dead ancestors.
Posts: 26238 | From: Atlanta, Georgia, USA | Registered: Feb 2005
| IP: Logged |
posted
This was posted here before like the earlier Kemites the Fon painted themselves reds and their Yoruba enemies black but the Yoruba and the the Fon looked like this http://thenile.phpbb-host.com/sutra6872.php Click here for more. What you see is not always what you get.
Posts: 6546 | From: japan | Registered: Feb 2009
| IP: Logged |
quote:Originally posted by Ish Gebor: Collective page on African traditions and symbolism.
African peoples often symbolize death by the colour white rather than black; at the same time, many African cultures see white as the colour that links them to their ancestors, and it can therefore have a positive meaning.
Pictures / photos / images of some MASKS and headdresses in the collection of antique, classical, ethnic, ethnographic, ethno-tribal, native, ritual, traditional, tribal, so-called "primitive" art from Sub-Saharan black Africa
Many African societies see masks as mediators between the living world and the supernatural world of the dead, ancestors and other entities. Masks became and still become the attribute of a dressed up dancer who gave it life and word at the time of ceremonies.
In producing a mask, a sculptor's aim is to depict a person's psychological and moral characteristics, rather than provide a portrait.
The sculptor begins by cutting a piece of wood and leaving it to dry in the sun; if it cracks, it cannot be used for a mask. African sculptors see wood as a complex living material and believe each piece can add its own feature to their work. Having made certain the wood is suitable, the sculptor begins, using an azde to carve the main features, a chisel to work on details and a rough leaf to sand the piece.
He then paints the mask with pigments such as charcoal (to give a black colour), powders made from vegetable matter or trees (for ochre/earth tones) or mineral powders like clay (to give a white colour).
African peoples often symbolize death by the colour white rather than black; at the same time, many African cultures see white as the colour that links them to their ancestors, and it can therefore have a positive meaning.
The second face.
I am not myself.
The attributions of the origin of the objects is based on their stylistic and physical characteristics and/or on the data provided by the seller and/or experts, but of course certainty cannot be reached.
The objects shown variable age, artistic quality, and degree of authenticity.
Some of the pieces are available for exchange for instance, due to an increasing lack of space.
"The peoples that are called “Fang” in the geographic and ethnographic literature constitute a vast mosaic of village communities, established in a large zone of Atlantic equatorial Africa comprising south Cameroon, continental equatorial Guinea and nearly the whole north of Gabon, on the right bank of the Ogowe River. They are principally hunters, but also farm. Fang social structure is based on the clan, a group of individuals with a common ancestor, and on the family. The habitat is very dispersed, in groups of dwellings that most often include members of a single lineage, the fundamental element of the patriarchal family.
The Fang used masks in their secret societies. The ngontang mask symbolizes a ‘young white girl’. Despite its name, the mask was danced only by initiated men. This helmet mask with four faces is colored with white pigments. These masks were worn in a ritual of the Bieri cult revering departed ancestors. Among the Fang people, the white is the color of the dead, and those with white faces have come to visit the living, bringing magic from the realm of the supernatural. The ngontang masks were used during funeral ceremonies and births. Today such masks serve primarily to entertain audiences on festive occasions."
These masks were worn in a ritual of the Bieri cult revering departed ancestors. Among the Fang people, the white is the color of the dead, and those with white faces have come to visit the living, bringing magic from the realm of the supernatura l.
The size of the crest determines the magic power of the mask. Mask, colors, and costume all have symbolic meaning. The dancer who wears the male mask will display aggressive and uncontrolled behavior with the aim of encouraging social conformity, whereas the dancer who wears the female mask display more gentle and controlled movements and is assumed to be associated with reproduction ceremonies. The use of white on the mask symbolizes positive concepts such as purity and peace, the moon and light. Red is associated with blood and fire, courage and fortitude, but also with danger and evil. Female masks essentially reflect positive forces and appear principally in dances held at night, such as during lunar ceremonies and at the investiture or death of a ruler.
The BAMBARA live in MALI on the Bani River and on both sides of the Upper Niger, and are an important MANDE speaking tribe. They number almost a million and are the heirs of two kingdoms, SEGU (1660-1881) and KAARTA (1670-1851). The BAMARA believe in the great light and creator god FARO , a kind of redeemer and organizer of the universe who is enthroned in the seventh heaven and sends rain which brings fertility. The sacred colour white is used in sacrifices and at one time, the most beautiful girl was richly adorned and sacrificed at the riverside each year as his bride.
According to the myth, FARO bestowed upon man their conscience, order and purity, as well as a sense of responsibility. FARO also created female twins and through his messenger, the swallow he made them pregnant and brought into being the first BAMBARA. For this reason, twins are regarded as being the bringers of good fortune.
Female masks are predominantly white with a few touches of black (eyelids, nose, sagital line, chin) and red (mouth, eyes), whereas in male masks the dominant color is red, with black and white highlights. According to some of my initiated Songye friends, white is perceived as a peaceful color associated with purity and the spirits, red is considered a more active color often associated with blood and vital power , and black is linked with secrecy and witchcraft.
African peoples often symbolize death by the colour white rather than black; at the same time, many African cultures see white as the colour that links them to their ancestors, and it can therefore have a positive meaning.
Yes, I have seen many voodoo and other African religious rituals where people would wear white makeup via white powder or paste. Sometimes they would simply cake it on their faces or they would cover their whole bodies in it and then sometimes dance as part a celebration of the dead ancestors.
Yes, that was certainly interesting.
I found some other info,
COLOR SYMBOLISM: THE AKAN OF GHANA
The Akan of central Ghana incorporate an active and complex system of symbolic display in their ceremonial, ritual, and everyday life. Their intricate goldwork, cast bronze, and carved wooden figures are well known, as are the complexly woven kente and stamped adinkra cloths.
Color plays a prominent role as a visual symbolic form in establishing a subtext for ceremony or ritual occasions, establishing identities of individuals and participants, defining relationships, and by contextualizing the appearance of ceremonial regalia and ritual objects. It enhances royal regalia either as a complimentary embellishment of objects to identify them to the specific occasion or as symbol of rank and status.
Color gives religious ritual a sacred presence, reflecting the temper and meaning of the moment as well as the cycle of the ceremony. Visually prominent and ritually significant during funerals, color serves to indicate the complex relationships of extended families during this period of mourning and transition.
-Though many hues are today found in use among the Akan, there remain three primary groupings of color commonly identified with symbolic or ritual usage. Defined in broad inclusive categories they include white (fufu) and various shades of red or russet (kokoo or kobene) or dark tones (tuntum).
-Each cluster of colors embodies associations that reflect spiritual and cultural values and symbolic references that are shared by the larger Akan population and contextually defined to circumstance and ritual appearance. Cloths (ntoma) of different colors are often the most visible element during ceremonies and their color will reflect the event and define an individual’s participation in the ceremony.
White
White (fufu) among Akans represents spirituality, sacredness of place, purity, virtuousness, joyousness, and victory. After recovery from a long illness, an individual and their family wear white cloths for a period of time to reflect their joy at the recovery of their family member. A woman who has recently delivered a baby dresses in a white cloth to recognize a successful delivery and to celebrate her new child. Fufu serves to portray the purity of souls, as individuals who have been absolved of guilt in a court case mark their shoulders and heads with white clay, known as hyire, to demonstrate their innocence and happiness. White also serves to establish ceremonial, ritual, and spiritual identity. Shrines are painted white and their priests solemnly sprinkle hyire on the ground and themselves to sanctify rituals and establish contact with the spirit of the shrine. Priests dedicated to Nyame (the chief deity among the Akan) are known by the manner in which their hair is shaved and by the use of white clay markings on their bodies. Three parallel lines of white clay are drawn from the crown of the head extending down the forehead and continuing down each cheek. Similar lines are drawn on each shoulder and upper arm and across the chest. As the lines are drawn with three fingers, the priest recites a dedication that equates the divinity to the white clay. Therefore, white in this usage serves as a badge of office reflecting priestly devotion, as well as acknowledging the spirituality of God.
Funerals of priests are celebrated by their family who wear white cloth and dust white powder on themselves to acknowledge the priest’s spirituality. Shrines and chief’s houses have white walls and red foundations and men who help the king repair the floors have three bands of red clay (ntuwma) wiped across their foreheads by the king as a sign of appreciation and honor. During the repair of royal tombs, a dark russet cloth known as kuntunkuni is worn to indicate the sorrow of those working when they think of the great deeds of their kings and in honor of the dead. Women who whitewash the local shrine house, where the spirit (obosom) lives, spread some of the white wash across their breasts to show their participation during the repairing of the spirit’s house.
Stools belonging to royals and family elders are cleaned and whitened with clay on festive days to acknowledge the purity of the owner’s soul (kra). Newly named chiefs and their followers wear white and brightly colored cloths to demonstrate their happiness and celebrate the installation of the new chief. During funerals for an elderly relative, family members reverse tradition and wear white to celebrate the new ancestor rather than the dark cloths normally worn. The cycle of grieving for widows or widower’s ends when dark cloths are cast off and a white cloth is put on during the Kunyae ceremony, which ends the yearlong period of mourning.
Retainers at court, known as akyerefo, are responsible for ensuring the ongoing purity of the king’s soul; they often wear white cloths or mark their bodies with hyire during state ceremonies such as the Odwira and Adae. Other court attendants (akonuasoafo) who carry the royal stools are dressed in white cloth, and the state sword bearers (afenasoafo) spread white clay on their arms and necks or draw patterns on their foreheads and temples to indicate their ceremonial office and spiritual duties. Stoolbearers also whiten their left hand and put white clay on their eyelids. The left hand, which is normally associated with body functions, is used to hold the stool on the stoolbearer’s neck and needs to be symbolically cleansed to hold the king’s stool. The white clay on their eyelids reflects their bedazzlement by the king’s glory.
During the Odwira ceremony, an annual festival of renewal and ritual cleansing, when shrines would be freshened, earlier kings remembered, and the nation cleansed, the Asantehene would first wear a barkcloth (kyenkyen) that was naturally whitegray reflecting the archaic nature of the ceremony as well as its spiritual function. Later when addressing the blackened stools of his predecessors, the king is dressed in old dark cloths, reflecting the presence of the royal dead and the seriousness of ritual offerings made to them. Afterwards the king wears rich and brightly colored cloths to celebrate and complete the Odwira ceremony. By these acts, ceremonial sequence is symbolically marked by chiefs wearing different colored cloths and changing them as new cycles were initiated.
Red, Russet, and Orange
Today the colors most often seen among the Akan are red, russet or orange hues. Collectively identified as kobene or kokoo, they also include purple, violet or pink and others within this range of color. Red-russet colors are themselves ambiguous in symbolic association being defined through a number of ceremonial, social, and personal contexts. Kobene is broadly identified with danger and warfare, blood, anger, heat (emotion), unrest, melancholy, bereavement and death. It reflects the seriousness of an occasion and can define a personal state of being or mark a national catastrophe.
Men wear red cloth and smear red clay (ntowma) across their shoulders, arms, and forehead to indicate defiance and anger. A well-known saying describes this frame of mind: “M’ani abere” (My eyes are red). This indicates sorrow and anger at the loss of a family member or the individual’s spirit during a national crisis, such as a call to war. In the past, combatants in a battle would wear red to reflect the fierceness of the struggle and their anger. Members of the Akan army’s rear guard (kyidom) were conspicuous by wearing vermilion or red cloths as they protected the state stools and chiefs who themselves were dressed in dark brown cloths sometimes stamped with adinkra symbols (abstract stamped symbols with proverbial cognates).
Funerals
Funerals play an important role in Akan society and life. They are conspicuous in part due to the prominent play of color of different hued cloths, headdresses, or the markings found on arms, shoulders, and face displayed by family and lineage relations during funerary ceremonies. It is in this context that color serves to define kinship and the various temporal segments of funerary rituals that can extend over a year. Through the different colored cloths worn at funerals a visual code of relationship to the deceased is given. Family relations are signified through the red cloths worn identifying members of the matrilineage (abusua), with black (tuntum) being worn by nonmatrilineal family and friends. The symbolic appearance of red (kobene) in this usage extends the bond of blood to both living and dead members of the matrilineage and to distinguish nonblood relations and other mourners. This is seen in the cloths worn by the matrikin of red or russet-brown for men, and with women wearing a red upper garment and a black skirt. Contemporary women’s clothing may be stylish and up-to-date, but it continues to conform to customary color usage. Funerary cloths worn by men and women may be also stamped with dark brown adinkra symbols. They will be stamped upon various hued cloths ranging from blue-black to bright colors depending upon the period of the mourning ritual and the relation of the mourner to the deceased.
Bands of red cloth worn around the head known as abotiri often have red peppers placed in them so that both the color and hot taste of the pepper serve to remind the wearer of their loss. In addition to the red cloths and headdresses, designs known as kotobirigya are worn by women of the matrilineage and daughters of the deceased. Painted in a red dye (esono), triangles, semicircles, or simple parallel lines will be applied on temples, cheeks, and foreheads. Blood relations will also mark their upper bodies with red clay (ntwuma) in broad wipes of color, known as asafie, placed on the arms, shoulders, and chest. This use of color symbolically confirms membership in a common bloodline, the abusua. Another form of cosmetic symbolism is used by women of the matrikin to indicate their grief, as they will draw a band of shiny black soot encircling the head at the base of the hair. Known as densikram, it is worn by mature women only. Lips and eyes are also be blackened in sorrow.
In the past the head of the deceased might be shaved and three lines of color, red, black, and white would be drawn on it. Similar lines or daubs of color are found on clay pots made for the deceased that would be ultimately deposited in a place sacred to the matrilineage known as esense or the “place of the pots.” These pots, called abusua kuruwa (clan pots), were venerated representing the individual as a member of the lineage. This symbolic unity of the matrilineage through the use of color continues through the various ceremonies of remembrance for the dead throughout the year held at the esense.
Dark Colors
As noted, the dark colors, black, or brown or a deep blue (birisi) characterized night, death, sorrow, sadness, bereavement, depression, and seriousness of purpose. Symbolic transformation through color takes place when a king’s white stool is blackened at the time of his death. It then is placed in the royal stool house joining those of preceding kings and where it is also venerated. The stools of previous kings are blackened as a sign of respect and age and as recognition that they belong to the “other world” of ancestors. Among the Akan, issues of history and articles of great age are conceived of as being black. In addition objects taken as spoils of war are blackened and placed in the stool house near the stool of the king who captured them to honor that king and the nation. The personal possessions and badges of office of important elders or notables are blackened and kept in the matrilineage house as objects identified with their office and good works.
Color plays an active symbolic role in Akan political statecraft. As a nonverbal statement of power relationships, color can symbolically address issues of polity between states through colors worn by the king or displayed on state umbrellas. When issues of grave national concern, such as war are to be discussed, the king and other chiefs sitting in council wear dark brown cloths known as kuntunkuni, a cloth normally worn at funeral to reflect the solemnity of the occasion. The dark cloth also symbolizes the ultimate power and authority of the king to act decisively for the state. Correspondingly, a combination of color and the cognate proverb of an adinkra symbol stamped on the cloth expresses the position of the state upon an issue. When sitting at court hearing cases, the king dresses in dark cloth to indicate the seriousness of the issues addressed and his responsibility to render justice and where necessary assign penalties as judged.
Gold
Gold (sika) as color and material was reserved to the king and those he honored. It had no absolute value but had great symbolic value indicating richness, royalty, high social status, wealth, and financial rank. Gold jewelry is never worn at funerals; instead, wooden carved bracelets are painted with black enamel to reflect the seriousness of the funeral. Spiritual and symbolic significance is attributed to gold as the king wears round gold disks (kra sika) that symbolized the purity associated to his soul (kra) with the subsequent well-being of the nation. Gold was reserved to the Asantehene and only his wooden stool (dwa) was permitted to have gold medallions or panels attached to it. Among the Akan, stools of the queen mother or other lesser kings were limited to silver attachments; to do otherwise and apply gold without permission was to challenge the king and the state. Perhaps the most prominent symbolic motif among the Akan is the Golden Stool of the Akan. Cast in gold, the Golden Stool (Sika Dwa) serves as symbol of the collective soul of the people, and functions as a locus of political union of those states that make up the Akan nation.
References
Antubam, K. 1963. Ghana’s Heritage of Culture. Leipzig.
Bellis, J.O. 1982. The “Place of the Pots” in Akan Funerary Custom. Bloomington: African Studies Program, Indiana University.
Hagan, G.P. 1970. A Note on Akan Color Symbolism. Research Review, 7, no. 1.
Rattray, R.S. 1927. Religion and Art in Ashanti. London.
Reindorf, C.C. 1895. A History of the Gold Coast and Asante. Basel.
Mato, D. 1988, 1991, 1992, 1994. Interviews and Personal Communications collected in Ghana.
Posts: 22234 | From: האם אינכם כילדי הכרית אלי בני ישראל | Registered: Nov 2010
| IP: Logged |
posted
Did i mention that was Prince in top pic with the guitar? Anyway..
??
Okee, first in Kemet, now Yorubas:
^Obatala, Lord of the white cloth.
What's with this white clothing stuff? Clothing seems to be a favorite spot for white, where as that for gold is apparel. And that for black the person themselves:
UBBFriend: Email this page to someone!
![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
Printer-friendly view of this topic