The Story of Kente

The Story of Kente Over 300 years of Ghanaian tradition Spider in the Forest Kente, a beautiful, colorful handwoven cloth from the West African Legend has it that two men, Ota Karaban and his friend Kwaku country of Ghana. It is a rich display of a cultural heritage of the Asante and Ewe people. The cloths are inundated with motifs and colours that are symbolic representations of traditional customs and Ameyaw observed a spider weaving its web. They in turn practiced weaving with strips of raffia and later announced their discovery to their chief. The chief reported the discovery to the Asantehene(King), who adopted the cloth as a royal cloth. beliefs. The word"kente" is believed to originally stand for the Fante word "kenten" which means basket. The cloth was originally worn by royals and wealthy people at important ceremonial occasions. Kente has moved from the Ghana and spread through out the world. It manifests in various facets of The Cloth fashion. The African American community uses kente to associate Kente was originally woven by hand on a wooden loom, the woven strips were then pieced to create the beautiful cloth. Traditional size for men is 5 x 8 ft with their African roots. and women use two pieces. Meaning of Color Gold-royalty, wealth, high status, Green-vegetation, planting, harvesting, growth, spiritual renewal glory, spiritual purity The Influence Western influences in Ghana led to the a Red-political and spiritual moods; Black- rise in the applications of kente. The cloth is worn during marriage ceremonies, graduations and it has been turned into hats, shoes, bags, backpacks, purses, jewelry and many more. maturation, bloodshed; sacrificial intensified rites and death. spiritual energy Meaning of Motifs Kente Outside Ghana Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, the first president of Ghana, championed international exposure of Kente. He wore kente to state functions both Mpuaa nkron- mpuaa is a popular hairstyle locally and internationally. Ebony magazine published many photo- graphs of Nkrumah adorned in Kente. Kente was often used as a political gift. During a visit to Ghana Mr. and Mrs. Clinton in 1998 were photographed wearing their gifts of kente. Nkyimkyim - to turn and twist. This represents someone whose mind is not steady. Kente in our lives CLASS Source: Wrapped in pride: Ghanaian kente and African American identity (Vol. 2), Ross, D. H., & Adedze, A. (1998)