I wonder how many people overlook the sankofa symbols all around DC residential neighborhoods.
A lot of people do. Mr. Bechet, art professor and my former Freshman seminar teacher, told me about how this was standard for houses of Free People of Color around New Orleans. Basically, white people allowed these symbols because they didn’t really know what they were (they assumed that these were simply ornamental). And this sankofa symbol was constantly reproduced in African-American cast iron gate designs.
black slaves did a lot of the iron work you see around the south and in older homes in the north.
a lil something we brought with us being that we had been smelting iron b4 the europeans used water to wash their behinds.
Bolded emphasis, mine. I love when the things that we managed not to lose on the way over here show up all around us.
i always notice it, but never connected the dots!
I never knew what these meant, I have seen them everywhere and all of my life. Damn.
I never knew this
Here’s a pic i found of the sankofa symbol
all over the dominican republic you will see the same designs, particularly in lower class homes gates. so fucking interesting. my grandmothers front porch has got several of those.
Omg! I know this symbol and I’ve seen this in iron gates everywhere but I never put the two together!
Hotdam I love my people!!!!!
Wow. And we have this on my porch back home. I love this…
WAIT, WHAT!?! Like, all houses in my hometown where my grandma lives have these!!! WTF! *mind blown*
*blink* I’ve seen this stuff before! I thought it was just ornamental!
This is amazing.
And I just mentioned sankofa.
Wow, saw this all the time in Chicago but never made that connection, holyfff.
: o
