West African Sankofa Bird Bone Pendant, with African Copper and Glass Beads from Ghana
This is a bone disc pendant of the Sankofa bird with egg, a symbol originating in Ghana, Africa. It is about 1 1/4" in diameter and comes on an adjustable slip-knot cord necklace. The necklace is decorated with Nigerian copper and recycled disc glass beads from Ghana. The Sankofa bird is a depiction of a bird flying forward while looking back with an egg in its mouth. The proverb that goes with this symbol is that the egg represents the future, and that one should reach to the past and bring it forward, to bring the best of the past to the future with us. This "Adinkra" symbol was used to teach a proverb that the past should not be forgotten, and that it should be preserved to the future. Both the brass and disc beads are made in a tradition that dates back hundreds of years. Many of the beads are hand formed, poured, with a very hands-on process. The process is similar to what we in the USA would call "Folk Art". No to pieces are expected to be identical, and irregularities in size, shape, and so on are considered normal and to be expected.