The University of Maine - Hudson Museum - Kente Cloth Project. What is it ? Kente cloth is a hand woven cloth designed to reflect the history, ethics, religious beliefs, and many other aspects of Asante culture in Ghana, Africa. Kente comes from the Asante word kenten, meaning basket. The first kente cloth was said to be made from raffia, fibrous strands from the Raffia palm, making the cloth look like a kenten, or basket. Today, narrow strips of cloth about four inches wide are used. The cloth comes in a variety of colors and are sewn together to make a design. A bit of history The origin is explained in a legend about a man, Ota Karaban and his friend, Kwaku Ameyaw. They learned to weave by watching a spider weave its web. They then wove raffia strands like the spider did. Starting in the 12th Century C.E., the Asante people began to use materials to weave kente. The cloth was considered royal and worn by special figures on particular occasions. Today, it is frequently worn in Africa as well as the United States. Materials and Techniques Kente is woven by hand using a loom made out of wood. Various colors and qualities of yarn are used. Kente made from silk yarn is considered very prestigious. In the past, cotton was locally grown; today, factories make most of the cotton used for Kente. The basic technique is to take several strips of cloth and sew them together by hand until a large cloth is made. Wearing Kente Kente was only worn to special events or by royalty in past times. It is both time and fiscally expensive to produce Kente cloth and is still considered prestigious to wear today. Men and women wear the cloth differently. Men wear the cloth covered around their body, but leave their right should or arm unexposed. Women wrap the cloth around their body as well but wear a shirt over it. Many bright colors of cloth are sewn together to make patterns representing their culture’s morals, philosophy, history, etc. Each particular design and color represents a meaning. For example: Rectangle: represents territorial power of a male ruler Zigzag: represents political wisdom Pink: femininity which is associated with caring and tenderness Blue: peace and harmony Green: good health Yellow: wealth and energy. umaine.edu/hudsonmuseum/education/curriculum/kente-cloth-project/
Posted on: Fri, 18 Apr 2014 18:52:25 +0000
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