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A bird turning its head backwards to take an egg from its back.
Also known as: Sankofa bird, Backward-looking bird, Return and get it, Bird with its head turned back
Sankofa shows a bird facing forwards with its head turned back to retrieve an egg, and it carries the proverb that it is not wrong to go back for what you have forgotten. It has been widely adopted in the African diaspora, particularly in the United States, well beyond its Akan origin.
Denotes the Akan proverb that it is not wrong to return for what has been left behind, drawn as a bird retrieving an egg from its own back.
Contexts: Public information
Exists in two documented forms: the backward-looking bird and a stylised heart-like glyph, both carrying the same proverb.
Contexts: Public information
Has been adopted widely in the African diaspora, especially in African-American cultural and educational contexts, distinct from its use in Ghana.
Contexts: Public information
A standing bird in profile with its body facing forwards and its neck curved right back over itself, its beak touching an oval egg resting on its back.