Asante art encourages us to see wisdom in the ordinary. A bird, peanut, shield, tortoise and porcupine are a sampling of the common subjects whose traits inspire proverbs. For an Asante, vivid language and a repertoire of effective proverbs are an expected part of public speech. To decipher the proverbs represented in the works in the museum's collection, the museum was advised by Daniel "Koo Nimo" Amponsah. As a young man, Koo Nimo was raised in the palace of the Asantehene (ruler) of the Asante and was "irradiated with tradition." He listened to courtly language and eventually became a great musical innovator. His description of a sequence of rings and the proverbs they reflect exemplifies how these objects leave room for ambiguity and shows the slight shifts in meaning that a skilled orator can adapt to suit each occasion.

A distinctive aspect of Asante proverbs is their tendency to feature specific imagery. While English proverbs are often statements of moral truths, such as "Honesty is the best policy" or "A friend in need is a friend indeed," Asante proverbs often have a visual reference, as you can see in the following examples of weights and rings.