Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. (Olga Thompson, Photographer)
Almost there! Tiana’s Bayou Adventure attraction at Magic Kingdom is coming along, with a West African flair and homage to those who came before us. Disney Parks announced the attraction recently added a custom handcrafted weathervane by Louisiana’s master blacksmith, Darryl Reeves. The symbols on the weathervane are Adinkra-inspired, which originated from the Gyaman people of Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire.
Reeves, a 3rd generation master blacksmith, and Vietnam veteran took on the project with his apprentice and blacksmith welder Karina Roca.
created for installation at Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, an attraction coming to Walt Disney World Resort in
Lake Buena Vista, Fla. and Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, Calif.
Adventure, an attraction coming to Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. and Disneyland
Resort in Anaheim, Calif.
“The top level is a symbol of endurance,” Roca describes the intricate design in a video interview with Disney Parks. “It looks like a fern because fern plants are very resilient. They can grow and thrive in any environment. The center below was centered around the divinity of Mother Earth and its depiction of this old saying, “as above, so below.”
She added, “The bottom symbol is Sankofa, which is a very popular Adinkra symbol found in many pieces of ironwork all over this country.
Ode to ancestors
Although the design looks like a heart, Roca says the design signifies a much deeper meaning. “But what it really symbolizes is a bird looking back on its tail, looking back on its past and its ancestry…of all of the lessons and advice that those that have come before have given us…”
Roca says the symbols on the weathervane are Ifa, a West African deity of wisdom and intellectual development in the Yoruba religion. The intention of the piece is for everyone to look at it and honor those who walked before them, including their lessons of love and nourishment.
“To think of all of the people that will see this piece really means for me to amplify the sort of, message and love of our ancestors that have given us these symbols through ironwork for so long,” Roca told Disney Parks.
Darryl’s workshop, Andrew’s Blacksmith and Welding Shop, is located in the historic Seventh Ward in New Orleans. Tiana’s Bayou Adventure opens this year at Disneyland Resort in California and Walt Disney World Resort in Florida.
New Orleans culture is celebrated on Tiana's Bayou Adventure - Royaltee Magazine -
[…] also used local artists and musicians for the attraction, including NOLA-based blacksmith Darryl Reeves, who created a handcrafted weathervane for the ride and Louisiana artists Sharika Mahdi and Malaika […]