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Who is Nana. What is Nana
Nana is a term used in Akan culture describing the title office attainable in society by an individual. Often translated as Elder or Wise Elder, for both male and female; but the term embodies much much more. A Nana in Akan culture is one who has mastered life. One who has recognized, embraced and executed the Divine function they were given by Onyame/Nyame/Nyankopon, (the Supreme Being) to execute on Earth. A Nana is someone one who participates in the ritual incorporation of Divine Law and the ritual restoration of Divine Balance, the ritual embodiment of Harmony, and the ritual essence of Ma’at; thus, Nana expresses the highest qualities of Afrikan Ancestral Spirituality or Afrikan Ancestral ‘Religion.’ The qualities of wisdom and intelligence, and those qualities which enable one to understand what to accept and what to reject, what to love and what to hate, the difference between Order and disorder and how to function in life accordingly, are embodied by the Nana in Akan culture. Nana in Akan culture is one who harmoniously negotiates the needs of the individual with the needs of the group in society. This is executed with a keen eye on the development and preservation of the whole. Nana is rooted in an in-depth understanding of the destiny and life function of the individual as they relate to our place in Creation. One who is Nana naturally becomes an example for others to emulate.
Nana is a title given to individuals, male or female, who embody these principles and qualities. Yet, the title is first and foremost part of the title of Nyame, the Supreme Being. Nyame is often called Nana Nyame. The Akan, as well as ALL Afrikan cultures have a proper understanding of the nature of the Supreme Being as consisting of the Great Mother and the Great Father, functioning together as One Divine Unit, as One Divine Creator. In Akan culture the various Abosom (Deities/Divine Forces of Nature/Ntryw/ Orishas/Children of Nyame, Children of the Supreme Being) also carry the title Nana. The same is true of the Honored Ancestors, both male and female. Honored Ancestors or Nananom Nsamanfo—are those Ancestors who sit at the “feet” of the Great Mother and the Great Father, the Divine Creator, in the spirit world now; because these Ancestors lived in Harmony, lived in Truth, and lived in Ma’at, with the Great Mother and the Great Father (One Great Creator) while they lived on Earth. They are therefore endowed by Nyame (the Supreme Being) with the power to assist and guide their descendants on Earth in the present, as we sometimes lose our way.
The title Nana carries great weight, even Divine qualities; thus only those who have demonstrated their worthiness of this title are properly addressed as Nana. Fundamentally, they have become part of a Divine community after having attained a certain level of spiritual cultivation.
