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Type: textile

Ethnic Group: Ashanti (Asante)

Country:

ECU Number: L0128

Description: This rayon Ashanti Kente cloth has multi-colored panels of geometric designs. The national costume of Ghana is kente cloth, woven on narrow strip looms by men. The name means Òwhatever happens to it, it will not tear.Ó The cloths present specific messages in their traditional geometric desgins that refer to an idea, proverb, or historical event. Originally made of raffia and cotton dyed with natural dyes, they later used European silk, and, now, rayon.

Significance researched to date: Traditionally, Kente cloth was the privileged possession of royalty, and was used worn by the king and the queen mother as state dress on ceremonial occasions. Now it is used as a status symbol by other classes of officials as well as by the wealthy.According to legend, Kente weaving was first introduced by Ota Kraban who got the idea from a spiderÕs web. Original fibers used were rough raffia, and cotton. Original natural dyes were red ginger and those from the bark of trees, leaves, and roots. Women picked, fluffed and spun cotton, and men wound yarns, laid the warp, and did the weaving. Strands of silk from the spider were combined with the cotton. Silk imported from Europe was laboriously taken apart and rewoven into kente patterns. Eventually, local silk was used. Kente cloth is oven on a traditional menÕs loom, which produces narrow strips of fabric. These are later sewn together to make a large cloth, which is wrapped around the body leaving one shoulder uncovered. A background of regular stripes is is overlaid with geometric designs. These traditional designs refer to an idea, a proverb, or a historical event. Kente cloths are intended to convey a specific message. Examples are Òall the artistic designs are exhausted, Ò Ògold dust,Ó Òsoul cloth of the queen mother of Toku,Ó and Òthe rainbow.Ó (Gillon, 152-153; Meyer,74; Segy, 182; Thompson, 7)

Type:	textile
Ethnic Group:	Ashanti (Asante)
Country:
ECU Number:	L0128

Description:	This rayon Ashanti Kente cloth has multi-colored panels of geometric designs. The national costume of Ghana is kente cloth, woven on narrow strip looms by men. The name means Òwhatever happens to it, it will not tear.Ó The cloths present specific messages in their traditional geometric desgins that refer to an idea, proverb, or historical event. Originally made of raffia and cotton dyed with natural dyes, they later used European silk, and, now, rayon.
Significance researched to date:	Traditionally, Kente cloth was the privileged possession of royalty, and was used worn by the king and the queen mother as state dress on ceremonial occasions. Now it is used as a status symbol by other classes of officials as well as by the wealthy.According to legend, Kente weaving was first introduced by Ota Kraban who got the idea from a spiderÕs web. Original fibers used were rough raffia, and cotton. Original natural dyes were red ginger and those from the bark of trees, leaves, and roots. Women picked, fluffed and spun cotton, and men wound yarns, laid the warp, and did the weaving. Strands of silk from the spider were combined with the cotton. Silk imported from Europe was laboriously taken apart and rewoven into kente patterns. Eventually, local silk was used. Kente cloth is oven on a traditional menÕs loom, which produces narrow strips of fabric. These are later sewn together to make a large cloth, which is wrapped around the body leaving one shoulder uncovered. A background of regular stripes is is overlaid with geometric designs. These traditional designs refer to an idea, a proverb, or a historical event. Kente cloths are intended to convey a specific message. Examples are Òall the artistic designs are exhausted, Ò Ògold dust,Ó Òsoul cloth of the queen mother of Toku,Ó and Òthe rainbow.Ó (Gillon, 152-153; Meyer,74; Segy, 182; Thompson, 7)