Sankofa, the symbol of wisdom, knowledge, and heritage.  The Sankofa bird is one of these symbols. It is a mythical bird that flies forward with its head turned backward. This reflects the Akan belief that the past serves as a guide for planning the future, or the wisdom in learning from the past to build the future.  The word Sankofa is derived from the words 'San' (return), 'Ko' (go), and 'Fa' (look, seek and take). The Akan believe that there must be movement with the times but as the forward march proceeds, the gems must be picked up from behind and carried forward on the march.