Consecration
in scheme: Sign Functions
type: Concept
definition: The sign activates or consecrates an object, person, or space for sacred use.

sign meaning
range: langString
domain: Graphic Sign
minimum access level: access-initiated-only
comment: The semantic or esoteric meaning of the sign as transmitted within the lineage. Initiated-only.
type: DatatypeProperty

Cornmeal
definition: Ground cornmeal used for vèvè and some Lucumí ground drawings.
in scheme: Drawing Media
preferred label: Harina de maíz @es
type: Concept

Opening
definition: The sign opens a ceremony, a spiritual pathway, or a sacred space for work.
in scheme: Sign Functions
type: Concept

Sign Functions
preferred label: Fonctions du signe @fr
type: ConceptScheme
preferred label: Àwọn iṣẹ́ àmì @yo
preferred label: Funciones del signo @es
has top concept: Binding
has top concept: Sealing
has top concept: Identification / Territory
has top concept: Territorial marking
has top concept: Protection
has top concept: Communication
preferred label: Funções do signo @pt
has top concept: Opening
has top concept: Narrative / Recording
has top concept: Consecration

Iroko Framework: Vèvè Module (Graphic Sign Systems and Sacred Diagrams)
modified: 2026-03-07
references: iroko-authority
creator: Iroko Historical Society
license: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/
imports: iroko-core
version IRI: https://ontology.irokosociety.org/iroko-veve/1.3.0
description: Domain module. Vocabulary for documenting graphic sign systems, sacred diagrams, and esoteric scripts across Afro-Atlantic traditions. Covers Vèvè (Vodou), Firma/Patipemba (Palo), Ponto Riscado (Umbanda/Quimbanda), Anaforuana (Abakuá), Nsibidi (Ejagham), Adinkra (Akan), and Kongo cosmograms. Access control runs from public (sign system typology) through initiated-elder (operational drawing sequences) and no-access (selected Anaforuana protected by tradition authority). Use with iroko-authority to document which lineage or sodality context authorizes transmission of a sign system.
is part of: iroko-framework
created: 2026-02-22
type: Ontology
version info: 1.3.0

Drawing Media
has top concept: White chalk (cascarilla)
has top concept: Wheat flour
has top concept: Charcoal
preferred label: Meios de desenho @pt
has top concept: Gunpowder
has top concept: Carved / incised
preferred label: Médias de dessin @fr
has top concept: Paint
has top concept: Cornmeal
has top concept: Blood
preferred label: Medios de dibujo @es
has top concept: Colored chalk
has top concept: Ink
preferred label: Àwọn ohun ìkọ̀ @yo
has top concept: Cascarilla (eggshell powder)
type: ConceptScheme
has top concept: Ash

permanence
range: Concept
type: ObjectProperty
minimum access level: access-community-only
domain: Sign Instance
comment: Whether this instance is ephemeral, temporary, or permanent. Range: iroko:PermanenceScheme.

Sign Corpus
subclass of: LineageKnowledgeGraph
type: Class
comment: The complete inventory of graphic signs held and transmitted by a specific lineage, house, or tradition community. Different lineages within the same tradition may hold different signs or use the same sign with different operational meanings. A sign corpus is lineage-specific and represents a distinct LineageKnowledgeGraph.

Sign System
comment: A tradition-specific graphic communication system consisting of a defined corpus of signs with shared visual grammar, drawing conventions, and ceremonial functions. Examples: the Vodou vèvè corpus; the Palo Monte firma/patipemba tradition; Ejagham Nsibidi; Abakuá Anaforuana; Akan Adinkra. A sign system is identified by tradition, geographic origin, and governing authority. The existence of a system and its name are public; its internal grammar and full sign inventory may be restricted.
subclass of: SacredEntity
type: Class

Cascarilla (eggshell powder)
in scheme: Drawing Media
definition: Powdered eggshell (cascarilla), a cooling and purifying medium used across multiple Afro-Atlantic traditions.
type: Concept

drawing medium
domain: Sign Instance
minimum access level: access-community-only
range: Concept
comment: The material used to draw this instance. Range: iroko:DrawingMediumScheme.
type: ObjectProperty

Drawing Surfaces
has top concept: Wall
has top concept: Other
has top concept: Cloth / fabric
has top concept: Body (skin)
has top concept: Sacred object
preferred label: Superfícies de desenho @pt
has top concept: Tree / bark
has top concept: Water surface
has top concept: Door / threshold
preferred label: Àwọn ilẹ̀ ìkọ̀ @yo
has top concept: Paper / document
type: ConceptScheme
has top concept: Altar surface
preferred label: Superficies de dibujo @es
has top concept: Ground / earth
preferred label: Surfaces de dessin @fr
has top concept: Floor (interior)

Graphic Sign
type: Class
comment: A discrete ritual diagram, symbol, or graphic mark belonging to a sacred sign system. Each sign has a conventional form, a tradition-specific name, and one or more ceremonial functions. Examples: a specific Vodou vèvè drawn for Ogou Feray; an Abakuá Anaforuana sign protecting a potencia's territory; a Palo firma drawn to open a Nganga. The sign's form and name are community-restricted in active traditions; its operational use and drawing sequence are initiated-only.
subclass of: Sign

sign type
minimum access level: access-public-unrestricted
domain: Sign Instance
comment: The abstract GraphicSign of which this is a specific drawn instance.
type: ObjectProperty
range: Graphic Sign

Charcoal
definition: Ground charcoal used for ancestral, funerary, and dark-force-related signs.
type: Concept
in scheme: Drawing Media

Altar surface
in scheme: Drawing Surfaces
definition: The surface of an altar, throne, or ritual table.
type: Concept

Gunpowder
in scheme: Drawing Media
definition: Gunpowder used in Palo Monte firmás and some Vodou vèvè for Ogou/Oggun-family entities. Associated with warrior and fire forces.
type: Concept
preferred label: Pólvora @es

Vèvè (Haitian Vodou)
type: Concept
in scheme: Sign System Types
definition: The graphic sign system of Haitian Vodou, consisting of elaborate diagrams drawn in flour, cornmeal, ash, or gunpowder on the ground or altar surface to invoke and represent specific lwa. Each lwa has one or more canonical vèvè; regional and lineage variations are well-documented. Drawn at the opening of ceremonies and during possession rites.
preferred label: Vèvè @fr

Sign Permanence
has top concept: Temporary
type: ConceptScheme
preferred label: Permanence du signe @fr
preferred label: Ìṣẹ́ àkókò àmì @yo
has top concept: Permanent
has top concept: Semi-permanent
has top concept: Ephemeral
preferred label: Permanência do signo @pt
preferred label: Permanencia del signo @es

Identification / Territory
type: Concept
in scheme: Sign Functions
definition: The sign identifies a house, potencia, lineage, or practitioner's affiliation. Primary function of Anaforuana territorial marks.

White chalk (cascarilla)
preferred label: Efun / Cascarilla @yo
type: Concept
definition: White chalk or powdered eggshell (cascarilla/efun) used for protective and cooling signs in Lucumí, Palo, and Vodou traditions.
in scheme: Drawing Media

Paper / document
in scheme: Drawing Surfaces
definition: Paper, parchment, or documentary material. Used in some Palo and Espiritismo contexts.
type: Concept

color significance
type: DatatypeProperty
domain: Graphic Sign
minimum access level: access-initiated-only
comment: The ritual significance of colors used with this sign, where applicable. Initiated-only.
range: langString

Communication
type: Concept
in scheme: Sign Functions
definition: The sign transmits information or messages between practitioners or between practitioners and spiritual forces.

Ground / earth
type: Concept
definition: Bare earth or dirt surface, often at crossroads or outdoor ceremony spaces.
in scheme: Drawing Surfaces

Other
definition: Drawing surface not covered by existing concepts.
in scheme: Drawing Surfaces
type: Concept

Protection
definition: The sign creates a boundary of spiritual protection around a person, object, or space.
type: Concept
in scheme: Sign Functions

Nsibidi (Ejagham/Cross River)
in scheme: Sign System Types
type: Concept
preferred label: Nsibidi
definition: An ideographic script and graphic sign system originating among the Ejagham and neighboring Cross River peoples of Nigeria and Cameroon. Used by Ékpè society members for communication, record-keeping, and ceremonial marking. Nsibidi predates colonial contact; some signs are public while esoteric variants remain restricted to Ékpè initiates. Ancestor system to Cuban Abakuá Anaforuana.

Narrative / Recording
in scheme: Sign Functions
definition: The sign records an event, tells a story, or encodes historical knowledge. Characteristic of Nsibidi's documentary function.
type: Concept

Sign Instance
comment: A specific documented occurrence of a graphic sign: a particular vèvè drawn at a specific ceremony, a firma traced before a consultation, an Adinkra stamped on cloth. Distinct from the abstract sign type (iroko:GraphicSign). Records medium, surface, date, ritual context, and photographer/recorder where available. Photographic documentation of sign instances is community-restricted; the sign's existence is public.
type: Class
subclass of: SacredEntity

Territorial marking
definition: The sign marks the boundary or domain of a spiritual entity, house, or society. Particularly important in Abakuá Anaforuana.
type: Concept
in scheme: Sign Functions

drawing surface
domain: Sign Instance
type: ObjectProperty
range: Concept
minimum access level: access-community-only
comment: The surface on or within which this instance was drawn. Range: iroko:DrawingSurfaceScheme.

Ponto Riscado (Umbanda/Quimbanda)
definition: The graphic sign system of Brazilian Umbanda and Quimbanda, consisting of drawn points (pontos) associated with Orixás, Exus, and Pombagiras. Related to but distinct from Palo Monte firmás; developed in the Brazilian context with syncretic elements from African, Indigenous, and Spiritist sources.
preferred label: Ponto Riscado @pt
in scheme: Sign System Types
type: Concept

Firma / Patipemba (Palo Monte)
preferred label: Firma / Patipemba @es
definition: The Kongo-derived graphic sign system of Palo Monte and related Cuban-Bantu traditions. Firmas are drawn to open, close, seal, and communicate with Nganga (spirit vessels) and their governing Mpungo. Patipemba are specific ground-drawing configurations. The directionality and polarity of firmas is operationally significant.
in scheme: Sign System Types
alternative label: Prenda signature
type: Concept

drawn by
range: RitualPractitioner
domain: Sign Instance
type: ObjectProperty
comment: The practitioner who drew this sign instance. Range: iroko:RitualPractitioner — a vèvè, anaforuana, or other sacred graphic sign is always drawn by a human agent exercising ritual capacity, not merely any person. Community-restricted.
minimum access level: access-community-only

Sign System Types
has top concept: Nsibidi (Ejagham/Cross River)
type: ConceptScheme
preferred label: Àwọn ìrú ètò àmì mímọ́ @yo
has top concept: Anaforuana (Abakuá)
preferred label: Tipos de sistema de signos sagrados @es
has top concept: Firma / Patipemba (Palo Monte)
has top concept: Ponto Riscado (Umbanda/Quimbanda)
has top concept: Vèvè (Haitian Vodou)
has top concept: Kongo Cosmogram
preferred label: Types de systèmes de signes sacrés @fr
has top concept: Adinkra (Akan)

Cloth / fabric
in scheme: Drawing Surfaces
type: Concept
definition: Fabric or cloth, particularly for Adinkra stamping and some Vodou ceremonial use.

governing authority
type: ObjectProperty
range: Concept
domain: Sign System
minimum access level: access-community-only
comment: The title or institution with authority over this sign system. For Anaforuana: the Abakuá potencia leadership. For Vodou vèvè: the Houngan/Mambo body. Community-restricted.

Wall
in scheme: Drawing Surfaces
definition: Interior or exterior wall surface. Used for semi-permanent protective signs.
type: Concept

Carved / incised
in scheme: Drawing Media
type: Concept
definition: Signs carved or incised into wood, stone, metal, or other materials for permanent installation.

Kongo Cosmogram
in scheme: Sign System Types
definition: The foundational Kongo cosmological diagram (dikenga dia Kongo) representing the cyclical journey of the soul through the four moments of the sun. A cross-in-circle form that underlies both Palo Monte firmás and traces of Kongo spiritual geography throughout the Afro-Atlantic diaspora. Foundational to understanding other Kongo-derived sign systems.
preferred label: Cosmograma Kongo @es
alternative label: Dikenga
type: Concept

Ash
definition: Wood ash or specific burned materials used for cooling, ancestral, and threshold-crossing signs.
in scheme: Drawing Media
type: Concept

Colored chalk
type: Concept
definition: Pigmented chalk in tradition-specific colors, used for signs associated with particular spiritual forces or chromatic requirements.
in scheme: Drawing Media

Binding
in scheme: Sign Functions
definition: The sign constrains or binds a force or entity. Initiated-only detail.
type: Concept

related sign
type: ObjectProperty
domain: Graphic Sign
comment: A sign within the same system that shares visual elements, modifies this sign's function, or is typically drawn in sequence with it.
minimum access level: access-initiated-only
range: Graphic Sign

Adinkra (Akan)
preferred label: Adinkra
type: Concept
scope note: While many Adinkra symbols are widely published, their ceremonial and mortuary use context should be documented with appropriate respect for Akan tradition authority.
in scheme: Sign System Types
definition: A system of visual symbols originating among the Akan of Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire, each symbol encoding a proverb, concept, or value. Traditionally stamped on cloth for funerary and ceremonial use. More publicly documented than many Afro-Atlantic sign systems due to widespread commercial adoption, though ceremonial uses retain their gravity. Increasingly present in diaspora contexts.

drawing sequence
domain: Graphic Sign
minimum access level: access-initiated-elder
range: langString
comment: The step-by-step sequence in which the sign must be drawn. The directionality and order of strokes often carries operational significance. Initiated-elder only.
type: DatatypeProperty

Paint
definition: Commercial or natural paint used for wall murals, cloth stamping, or semi-permanent sign installation. Common in Adinkra cloth production.
type: Concept
in scheme: Drawing Media

Water surface
definition: A body of water, basin, or liquid surface. Used in some healing and cooling ceremonies.
type: Concept
in scheme: Drawing Surfaces

invoked entity
comment: The spiritual entity primarily associated with or invoked by this sign. Range: iroko:SpiritualEntity. Community-restricted.
domain: Graphic Sign
range: SpiritualEntity
type: ObjectProperty
minimum access level: access-community-only

documentation record
range: SacredMedia
type: ObjectProperty
minimum access level: access-community-only
domain: Sign Instance
comment: Photographic, rubbing, or tracing record of this sign instance. Range: iroko:SacredMedia. Community-restricted: documentation should not enable replication.

sign function
comment: The primary ceremonial function of this sign. Range: iroko:SignFunctionScheme.
range: Concept
domain: Graphic Sign
minimum access level: access-community-only
type: ObjectProperty

Ink
type: Concept
definition: Ink applied with pen, brush, or stamp. Common in Nsibidi documentation and Adinkra cloth stamping.
in scheme: Drawing Media

Floor (interior)
type: Concept
definition: Interior floor of a temple, hounfò, or ilé. The most common surface for Vodou vèvè.
in scheme: Drawing Surfaces

Blood
type: Concept
definition: Animal or human blood used as a drawing medium in highly restricted ceremonies. Initiated-elder access for operational detail.
in scheme: Drawing Media

Sacred object
type: Concept
definition: A consecrated object, vessel, drum, or implement.
in scheme: Drawing Surfaces

Anaforuana (Abakuá)
definition: The esoteric graphic script of the Abakuá society in Cuba, derived from Ejagham Nsibidi through enslaved Cross River practitioners. Anaforuana signs represent potencia territories, spiritual forces, and society knowledge. Among the most protected sign systems in the Afro-Atlantic world; specific signs are restricted to initiated members at specific grades. Related to but institutionally distinct from Nsibidi.
in scheme: Sign System Types
type: Concept
preferred label: Anaforuana @es
scope note: Many Anaforuana signs are protected at initiated-only or no-access level by potencia authority. Researchers must obtain community approval before documenting or publishing specific signs.

Permanent
type: Concept
in scheme: Sign Permanence
definition: Intended to endure: carved stone or metal, tattooed or scarified body marks, Nsibidi on permanent objects.

Sealing
definition: The sign closes or concludes a ceremony or seals a spiritual agreement.
type: Concept
in scheme: Sign Functions

Ephemeral
type: Concept
in scheme: Sign Permanence
definition: Destroyed or erased immediately after use as part of the ceremony (e.g., vèvè covered by dance, flour swept away).

Door / threshold
type: Concept
in scheme: Drawing Surfaces
definition: Door, doorframe, or threshold — boundary surfaces with protective and liminal significance.

directionality
domain: Graphic Sign
minimum access level: access-initiated-only
range: langString
comment: Whether and how orientation of the sign affects its function (e.g., inverted signs in some Palo and Kongo traditions activate opposite polarity). Initiated-only.
type: DatatypeProperty

Wheat flour
type: Concept
definition: Refined wheat flour, the most common medium for Haitian Vodou vèvè.
preferred label: Harina de trigo @es
preferred label: Farine de blé @fr
in scheme: Drawing Media

Body (skin)
in scheme: Drawing Surfaces
type: Concept
definition: The skin of a practitioner or initiate. Used for protective and initiatory markings.

Semi-permanent
type: Concept
in scheme: Sign Permanence
definition: Remains for an extended period but is understood to be renewable (e.g., wall signs, painted objects, cloth).

Tree / bark
in scheme: Drawing Surfaces
definition: Living tree or bark surface. Used in some outdoor and forest-spirit ceremonies.
type: Concept

Temporary
type: Concept
definition: Fades naturally or is ritually removed after the ceremony concludes (e.g., ground drawings exposed to weather).
in scheme: Sign Permanence