A fellow requested that I create an amulet
from his ancestral home land in Ghana.
When presenting me with a rather large wood carving of the symbol
he requested a sterling version for his wife.
Although he had a hard time with the pronunciation,
the basic concept was even more obscured.
The translation he gave me was a mix of Christian doctrine
and the quote from the fellow from which he purchased the Teak carving.
Because of the kind of work I do,
I wanted to be sure I understood the piece before I stared.
Unfortunately the resource material I relied on was spotty,
however after some digging,
the symbol‘s information flowered.
Gye Nyame is a symbol meaning
“I am afraid of none but God,”
or: “Nyame biribi wo sor”
suggesting good things come from above.
Gye Nyame Amulet
This unique and beautiful symbol
is omnipresent in Ghana.
It is the most popular in decoration:
a reflection on the deeply religious character of the Ghanaian people.
A symbol of the Omnipotence and the Omnipresence Of God.
From the Akan aphorism:
Abode santann yi firi tete;
obi nte ase a onim ne ahyease,
na obi ntena ase nkosi ne awie,
Gye Nyame.
Literal translation:
This great panorama of creation dates back to time immemorial;
no one lives who saw its beginning
and no one will live to see its end,
Except God.
The symbol reflects the Akan belief of a Supreme Being,
the Creator.
This symbol is considered the oldest “Monotheistic” symbol in existence
demonstrating the Africans to have a firm belief
in a Supreme and Almighty God.
Those who follow the Akan Akom Tradition
are indigenous to Ghana of West Africa,
the Ivory Coast, Togo, the Congo,
the Caribbean and the United States.
Akans believe God is the Supreme Being
in whom all things begin, end,
and upon whom all things are dependent.
God is everywhere
but beyond the reach of humans.
We know Him by many appellations such as
Otweidiampon, Okokroko, Onyame, Awurade, Odomankoma
– the One who can give us grace,
Nyankopon, Asasse Yaa
-Mother earth, pure, unpolluted, motherly, protective, fruitful
The Great one, the Faithful One,
Eternal, Infinite, transcending everything.
Traditional Ghanaians do not worship God directly.
They believe that there exists a world of spirits.
It is believed that Spirits are everywhere.
Nyame is the Father and Creator of those spirits.
They are ministers of the Supreme Being:
the lesser gods;
they have no power unto themselves
but work independently,
doing the good work of healing and protecting the people who worship them.
They are called Abosom (plural) or Obosom (singular),
sometimes referred to as the Deities.
These spirits are embodied in the elements and manifestations of Nature.
Through the Abosom,
one receives blessings, prosperity, protection,
guidance and direction and more.
I set about to create this piece for my friend,
included a pair of earrings.
While the earrings are carved “flat”,
the main pendant holds the curves
to accentuate the flow of the design,
thus I developed the Gye Nyame Amulet.
In my site I now offer the set or the individual pieces:
a large and smaller version
and a pair of earrings.
Wearing these amulets connects One to a tradition
well over 5000 years old
from the continent of humanities’ cradle.
For more information about this collection, please visit my Gye Nyame Page
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