Kelly Carey
asked:
I want to know which symbols Nana Akua has on her cheeks? What do her symbols stand for?
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Nana Akua Goes to School,
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Vickie
My thinking is that the marks would both represent 'beauty and confidence' and are either the exact markings of all of her tribal members or somehow have elements indicating her identification as a member of the Akan people - tribe, based on these quotes from the book:
On page 9, counting page 1 as the first page after the title page, there is this quote: "They put marks on her face to show which tribal family she belongs to, and to represent beauty and confidence."
The marks are not among the symbols at the front and back of the book, which are pictured on the quilt:
On page 13, Nana Akua says, "These quilt patterns come from another long-ago tradition. Even though they are not exactly the same as the marks on my face, they can help explain them."
On page 9, counting page 1 as the first page after the title page, there is this quote: "They put marks on her face to show which tribal family she belongs to, and to represent beauty and confidence."
The marks are not among the symbols at the front and back of the book, which are pictured on the quilt:
On page 13, Nana Akua says, "These quilt patterns come from another long-ago tradition. Even though they are not exactly the same as the marks on my face, they can help explain them."
Susan
The illustrations show only three lines on each cheek, and their meaning isn't explained in the story. There is source material in the back of the book where readers can look up the meaning of the various symbols.
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