Duafe

Adinkra symbol of the wooden comb: beauty, care and good conduct.

Duafe is the wooden comb, and the Adinkra symbol drawn after it stands for beauty, cleanliness and care. In Akan homes a well-made comb was a treasured possession, often carved with care and given as a gift, and the symbol carries that value: the attention people give to how they present themselves and how they look after one another.

The meaning reaches beyond appearance. Duafe is traditionally linked to qualities admired in a good person, and especially in a woman who runs a household: patience, prudence, kindness and care for others. Grooming is seen as a form of respect, for yourself and for the people you meet, and the comb becomes a sign of a life kept in good order.

The symbol shows the comb seen from the front: an oval handle with an eye-shaped opening and a round pupil, above a broad comb with six teeth. Like other Adinkra symbols, it is printed on cloth with stamps carved from calabash and used in decoration and jewellery.

Combs also appear in courtship: a carved comb was a traditional gift of affection, which is why Duafe is sometimes connected with love and with the care partners show each other.

In dreams, a comb, combing someone's hair or having your own hair combed can be read in an Akan way with this meaning. Such dreams often come when care is on your mind: caring for a child, a parent or a partner, or needing to take better care of yourself. Read with Duafe, the dream does not judge appearance; it asks where care is being given, and where it is needed.