African (Adinkra) Symbol of the Month: Asase Ye Duru signifies the divinity of mother earth

Bôhten eyewear strives to improve the awareness and knowledge of African culture from the continent. To shed light on our African roots, we are introducing meaningful symbols from Ghana that focus on important aspects of everyday life.

April 22nd 2023 marks another Earth Day where organizations and countries around the world come together to bring awareness to the environment and climate change impacting our world. To kickstart the awareness and help recognize April as Earth Month, we selected the symbol Asase Ye Duru as our African symbol of the month. Asase Ye Duru is an Adrinkra symbol that directly translates to “The earth has weight”. According to adinkrasymbols.org, “It is a symbol of providence and the divinity of mother earth.”

Symbolsage.com describes the importance of this symbol in Ghana by the Akan people. It says “...they regard it as a symbol of the earth’s significance and a reminder that humans should respect the earth, and not act in ways that could harm it.”

Father to Bôhten Co-Founders Nana B and Nana K, Mr. Osei, a Ghanaian and Akan, explained the deeper meaning behind the phrase “Se asaase nu ye duru”, where Bôhten derived the name for its newest collection - The Duru Family. Mr. Osei says “‘Se asaase nu ye duru’ literally means ‘The land is heavy’....it signifies the fact that when you tread on land, walk gingerly. Because land sustains us. Land carries us.” 

Our African ancestors recognized the value and significance of the earth and the important role it plays in our well being as human beings. They knew it was vital for us to take care of the land and integrated it into their symbolism which lives on today. We encourage you then to embrace their wisdom and take heed of the fact that the ‘land is indeed heavy.’ We all need to ‘tread gingerly’ to ensure we have an earth to walk upon for generations to come. 

Adinkra are visual symbols, originally created by the Gyaman (Ashanti) people of Ghana and the Ivory Coast. The symbols hold a great deal of meaning and not only present the rich Akan culture, but serve to communicate deep truths, wisdom and knowledge using imagery. 

If you're curious to learn more about Adinkra symbols, you can find more about them here.