Ntonso, located about 15 km north of Kumasi in the Kwabre East District, is widely regarded as the home of Adinkra symbols; visual motifs conveying Akan proverbs, values, and life lessons.
Originally produced by the Gyaman people and adopted by the Ashanti, Adinkra cloth was once reserved for kings and funerals. The dye is made from the bark of the badie (Adinkraduro) tree, boiled repeatedly for deeper hue, and symbols are stamped using carved calabash stamps.

Today, artisans in Ntonso carve symbolic stamps from calabash gourds, prepare natural dye, and imprint meaningful motifs like Sankofa (“learn from the past”), Gye Nyame (“Except God”), Denkyem (resilience), and Duafe (beauty & care) onto cloth, walls, furniture, and more.

Adinkra symbols are more than art. They encode Akan wisdom in everyday life: leadership (Adinkrahene), learning (Nea Onnim), adaptability (Denkyem), innovation (Aya) and so on, often seen in architecture, logos, and dyed cloth worn at ceremonies and Friday wear in schools/offices.