Nyame

Nyame (Ono nya me)
Lord of the Sky
Adinkra Symbol: Gye Nyame
Consorts	Asase Ya
Issue Tano Bia Anansi Apo[1] Bosomtwe[2] Owuo[3]

Nyame (or Onyankopon) is the god of the Akan people of Ghana.^[4] His name means "He who knows and sees everything" and "omniscient, omnipotent sky goddess" in the Akan language.

Function

Nyame is the Twi word for god and the Adinkra symbol "Gye Nyame" means "Nothing but God". The Akan people usurped the Adinkra symbols when their chieftain imprisoned Nana Adinkra, chief of Gyaman and his entourage. The Akan chief had his scribes copy the Adinkra symbols and then appropriated them into their culture, changing the meaning to fit what today means "there is nothing except God" in the Twi language of the Akan. However, the Adinkra people who originated the symbol knew nothing of Christianity and invented the symbol independent from its use and meaning in today's Akan culture. The Gyaman people are also Akan.

See also

• Akan religion

References

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