Adinkra Stamp Stick

About this object

History of use

Sticks used with adinkra stamps (1774/12-16). Sticks are hammered into the back of the stamps perpendicularly around the edges and angled inward, where they are tied together like a cone. This makes a handle for easier use of the stamp. Stamps are used for printing designs on cloth (e.g., 1774/1). Adinkra is an ideographic communication system. Each sign represents a host of interconnected ideas, more quickly referenced by a phrase or proverb, and there are over 100 signs in common use.

Cultural context

textiles

Physical description

Three sticks tied together with yellow-orange thread. Part a: wooden stick with blunt tip, part b: longest wooden stick with pointed tip, part c: shortest wooden stick with blunt tip, part d: orange thread.