Adinkra Virtues

NoVirtueGhanaian proverbEnglish TransliterationMeaning
1DiversityfuntunfunEfu nEC denQemfunEfu wcn aCfuru bom nansoC woCrECdidi a na wcrECkoC efiri se aCduanEC de yetEC noC wc mECnECtwitwiE muFuntunfunefu and denkyemfunefu (two conjoined crocodiles) have their stomachs joined together yet when they eat they fight because the sweetness of the food is felt as it passes through the throat,Democracy and unity in diversity
2VigilancekckcsaCQi si ctoC nEC kosua wc soCroC, efiri se bcmmcfoCc hoC ye hu.“Though I am not edible,” says the vulture, “yet I nurse my eggs in the branches of a tall tree because man is hard to be trusted.”We must remain vigilant and avoid activities that attract unnecessary attention.
3ProcrastinationBECre aCnnuru aCnnuru a,
etra.
It’s not time yet, it’s not time yet, until it is too late.Procrastination is the thieve of time.
4ReincarnationcdoCmankoCma bc owuo ma owuo kum noC.The Creator created death only for death to kill him.Immortality of God.
5Respect
enam obi soC na obi ye yiE.
It’s always through the help of someone that you get somewhere.We should help each other.
6HarmonyEfiE rEChyEC a, mbarima nkoC.Two men in a burning house must not stop to argue.We should avoid unnecessary arguments.
7Financial Responsibilityyendidi pii nsi dan.One cannot both feast and become rich.We must practice saving.
8Togethernessdua baakoC nndanEC qaECe.One tree cannot be a forestWe achieve more if we work together.
9Powertumi tEC se kosua, woCsc mu dECn a, epaEC; na se woCanso mu yiE nsoC a, efiri woC nsa bc fam ma epaEC.The responsibility of power is like holding an egg. Grasp it too tightly and it will drip through your fingers; hold it too loosely and it will drop and break.We must temper justice with mercy.
10UniquenessmaCko Ninaa mpaCtu mmECrEC.All peppers do not ripe simultaneously.Everyone is unique.
11Protectioncbaa ye nhwiren wc aCfiQifuo; nEC kunoC ye nEC ban.A woman is a flower in a garden; her husband is the fence around it.Husband must protect his wife.
12CautionANiGa sECsEC gakE agama Do na afc aNi blEwuu.Though the earth is solid, the chameleon makes cautious steps on it.We must exercise caution in out daily activities.
13Advice
yEtu woC foC na waCntiE a, woCkc antECadEC.
If you do not heed advice, you go to Anteade (the town for those who don’t heed advice).We must listen to good advice.
14Money
sika ye nam sECn sECkan.
Money is sharper than a sword.We must have respect for money.
15PatienceckoCtre a chwe noC hoC soC noC, oNini danEC apcnQECreni.A lizard that knows how to hide grows to become a crocodile.We must improve ourselves daily to become a better version of ourselves.
16
Understanding
se woC wECre firi na woC san kcfa a yenQi.We must go back and reclaim our past so we can move forward: so we understand why and how we came to be who we are today.It is not taboo to return and fetch it when you forget.
17Truth
noCqarEC ye ayarECsa.
Truth is a cure
We must uphold that which is true.
18UnityesEC nEC tekrema cmoC koC aCduanEC hoC, ensoC ekc yEfunu baakoC mu.The teeth and tongue fight to get food into the same stomachHaving different views but united in purpose.

Posted

in

by

Tags:

Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.