cloth commissioned from the Fante paramount chief of Elmina for William I of the Netherlands, which would explain why the coat of arms of the Netherlands is in the centre. The other motifs are typical of the older adinkras. It is now on display in the National Museum of Ethnology in Leiden. In November 2020, a school board in York, Pennsylvania, banned "a children's coloring book that featured African Adrinkra [sic] symbols found in fabrics, logos and pottery." The decision was subsequently overturned. Adinkra cloth In Akan (Twi), the term adinkra refers to not symbols, but a particular type of cloth. Adinkra cloths were traditionally only worn by royalty and spiritual leaders for funerals and other very special occasions. In the past they were hand-printed on undyed, red, dark brown or black hand-woven natural cotton fabric depending on the occasion and the wearer's role; nowadays they are frequently mass-produced on brighter coloured fabrics. The present centre of traditional production of adinkra cloth is from Ghana, Ntɔnso, 20 km northwest of Kumasi and in Ivory Coast. Dark Adinkra aduro pigment for the stamping is made there, by soaking, pulverizing, and boiling the inner bark and roots of the badie tree (Bridelia ferruginea) in water over a wood fire. Once the dark colour is released, the mixture is strained, and then boiled for several more hours until it thickens. The stamps are carved out of the bottom of a calabash piece. They measure between five and eight centimetres square. They have a handle on the back, and the stamp itself is slightly curved so that the dye can be put on with a rocking motion. Sample of symbols listed Recorded sample of 53 adinkra symbols and their meanings Notes Further reading The Adinkra dictionary: A visual primer on the language of Adinkra by W. Bruce Willis. Cloth as Metaphor: (re)reading the Adinkra cloth symbols of the Akan of Ghana by Dr George F. Kojo Arthur. Legon, Ghana: Centre for Indigenous Knowledge Systems, 2001. 187 [6], p. 29 cm. African Accents: Fabrics and Crafts to Decorate Your Home by Lisa Shepard. Adinkra Symbols: To say good bye to a dead relative or friend by Matthew Bulgin Adinkra: An Epitome of Asante Philosophy and History by Dickson Adome, Erik Appau Asante, Steve Kquofi External links Adinkra Symbols Adinkra Symbols of West Africa Adinkra Symbols at About.com ADINKRA - Cultural Symbols of the Asante people