Kente cloth is a type of silk and cotton fabric made of interwoven cloth strip normally worn by royalty in times of extreme importance and was the cloth of Kings.
Legend has it that the art of Kente weaving was born after a couple of boys from the village of Bonwire got weaving lessons from Anasi the spider.
Kente is a visual representation of history, philosophy, ethics, oral literature, religious belief, social values and political thought. Originally, its use was reserved for their royalty and limited to special social and sacred functions. When its production increased, it became more accessible to those who could afford to buy it. However, its prestigious status was maintained, and it has continued to be associated with wealth, high social status and cultural sophistication.
Some Kente designs
A young couple during their traditional marriage rights
Beautiful rocking the Kente cloth
Asantehene (Paramount chief of the Ashanti Kingdom, Ghana) and his entourage
Torgbui Afede (Paramount King of the Ewes, Ghana) sitting in state
Kente is used not only for its beauty but also for its symbolic significance. Each cloth has a name and a meaning; and each of the numerous patterns and motifs has a name and a meaning. Names and meanings are derived from historical events, individual achievements, proverbs, philosophical concepts, oral literature, moral values, social code of conduct of conduct, human behavior and certain attributes of plant and animal life.
There are over 300 different types of cloth designs, each with its name. Each cloth design comes with numerous variations-in color and distribution of motifs.
Kente weaving in Adanwomase
#Richard Anderson
- watch out for my next post on 'KENTE' patterns and their meanings