Hwe Mu Dua
Hwe Mu Dua, the “measuring stick”, is the adinkra symbol of examination and quality control.
Meaning
Hwe Mu Dua is an Akan symbol from Ghana, stamped on adinkra cloth; the name is also written Hwemudua. J. E. T. Kuwornu-Adjaottor, George Appiah and Melvin Nartey of KNUST explain the name as a stick used for looking into something, and its meaning as “When something is well examined, its content is well known”. The symbol, they write, insists on thorough examination of every part of life and stands for the means by which quality standards are reached. The design-tools table at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute has “Measuring stick” and “Examination and quality control”.
Read next
- Next in Adinkra symbolsAdinkraheneAdinkrahene, “chief of the adinkra symbols”, is three concentric rings. It stands for greatness, charisma and leadership.
- The same shape in Celtic symbolsSt Brigid’s crossA small cross woven from rushes or straw on the eve of St Brigid’s Day, 1 February, and hung over the door or in the roof for the saint’s blessing and protection through the year. The four-armed form is the best known, but Irish crosses come in many shapes.
See also
Mate Masie, Gye Nyame, Nyame Dua, Nsoromma (star), Osram ne Nsoromma (moon and star), Sankofa.
Sources
- The philosophy behind some Adinkra symbols (Kuwornu-Adjaottor et al. 2016), J. E. T. Kuwornu-Adjaottor, George Appiah and Melvin Nartey (Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology), “The philosophy behind some Adinkra symbols and their communicative values in Akan”, Philosophical Papers and Review 7, no. 3 (2016): 22–33, doi:10.5897/PPR2015.0117, Academic Journals, Some unfamiliar Adinkra symbols: Hwεmudua
- Adinkra Symbols (Culturally Situated Design Tools), Culturally Situated Design Tools (Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, with the National Science Foundation), “Adinkra: Symbols”, Culturally Situated Design Tools, table of symbols
The same shape elsewhere
Browse symbols formed from crosses or lines.
Researched, edited and approved by Rory Hansen before publishing. Last reviewed October 9, 2026. How we research
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