Talking Headdress: Tekua, the Proverbial Language among the Fante of Elmina, Ghana

Abstract

Silent yet loud, headdresses make explicit statementsabouta person or a particular culture. In many cultures, specificheaddresses explicate cultural nuances such as proverbialsayings. One of such headdresses is the tekua of theFante, Elmina. The avenues for showcasing these headdressesareduring special occasions such as festivals andmarriageceremonies and thus serve as a mediumfor communication. With a theoretical anchorage in the concept of Stuart Hall’scultural representation to advance discussions onweavingproverbs in the tekua, this exploration interrogatestheintegration of proverbs in making tekua at Elmina. Throughthe lenses of a qualitative research approach, thisstudyadopts an ethnographic design and the instrumentsforcollecting data include participant observations andsemi-structured interviews. The results showthat tekuaisaproverbial language which is dotted withsymbolstocommunicate as espoused in Hall’s cultural representationtheory. Also, through this artforms, proverbs aregivenformthus tekua embodies the cultural values, normsandphilosophies of the people of Elmina. In conclusion, tounderstand the message tekua carries, it requires theculturalknowledge of Fante proverbs to deconstruct the informationit holds otherwise, it serves an aesthetic purpose