Dreaming of birds in the Akan tradition: meaning
The best-known Akan symbol is a bird: Sankofa, walking forward and looking back, with an egg in its beak. Birds in a dream are therefore often read in an Akan reading as a message, and a bird looking back as an invitation to retrieve what you forgot.
Within this tradition
Sankofa means go back and get it. It belongs to the proverb that it is not wrong to go back and fetch what you have forgotten. The bird walking forward but looking back has grown into one of the most important symbols of Ghana and of the whole African diaspora, also in Suriname and the Netherlands.
In an Akan reading that gives bird dreams a special direction. A bird that looks back, flies back or carries something in its beak is often connected with Sankofa: what must you retrieve from your past, your family or your origins in order to move on? The egg stands for something precious and fragile, such as knowledge, a memory or a promise for the future.
Birds are also seen more generally as messengers, between heaven and earth. A bird that lands on your shoulder or speaks to you can be read as a message, sometimes from the ancestors. A flock rising together, as community and unity. A caged bird as something in yourself looking for room.
In some folk stories night birds, such as owls, are associated with misfortune. Dreamkin does not read such dreams as prediction. An owl in a dream is in our Akan reading more about what becomes visible in the dark.
Common variations
A bird looking back
Sankofa: retrieve what you forgot before you move on.
A bird with something in its beak
Something precious and fragile, such as knowledge or a promise.
A bird speaking to you
A message, sometimes from the ancestors.
A flock rising together
Community and unity.
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Write your dream in the appFrequently asked questions
What does Sankofa mean?
Go back and get it. The Adinkra symbol of a bird looking back stands for learning from the past.
Is an owl in a dream a bad sign among the Akan?
Some folk stories connect night birds with misfortune, but Dreamkin does not read that as prediction. It is more about what becomes visible in the dark.
Does such a dream predict misfortune?
No. The Akan reading on Dreamkin does not predict misfortune. A dream is read as counsel or encouragement, and whoever finds it weighs heavily discusses it with an elder in the family.