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Adinkra Cloth Stamping

Also known as Adinkra

Adinkra cloth is printed by hand in Ghana: the maker rules the cloth into squares with a comb dipped in dye, then presses carved calabash stamps in dark dye boiled from tree bark, one design to a square. Spirals, rings, stars, chain links and bands of stripes fill the cloth row by row.

Play the previewAbout this tradition
Adinkra Cloth Stamping: photograph by Vichycombo
Photo: Vichycombo, CC BY-SA 4.0, source on Wikimedia Commons
Adinkra Cloth Stamping: the game in attract modeLive previewPlay

Runs in your browser, works offline once loaded.

How to play

  1. Pick a dye colour and a stamp shape from the tray under the cloth.
  2. Tap a square to press the stamp there; tap again with the same stamp to lift it off.
  3. Copy the small cloth shown above, then press Check.
Rules at a glance
  • Every square is stamped on its own: the cloth has no mirror, so each square is worked separately.
  • A square counts only when its stamp shape and its dye colour both match the target.
  • Three stars need a nearly perfect copy; you can undo or clear as often as you like.

About the tradition

Adinkra printing is practised in Ghana, with a centre at Ntonso near Kumasi, and in Cote d'Ivoire. Printers carve their own stamps from calabash and cook the dye from bark, and cloth was traditionally printed on hand-woven cotton.

Origins

A living tradition passed from person to person; it is not tied to a single dated origin. It belongs to the cultural world of Africa: Sahel, West and Central.

Credits

Sources

Get the app

Adinkra Cloth Stamping is one of 20 paper and paint crafts in the Paper & Paint of the World app for iPhone, iPad and Android. Submitted to the App Store and Google Play; in review. Store links appear here the day it goes live. One app, many traditions, no account needed.

See all 20 paper and paint crafts in the app

In review on theApp StoreIn review on theGoogle Play

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