Kente Cloth

After the service our minister was presented with this cloth from one of our Ghanaian members.

Kente cloth  pronounced (KEN-tay), made in Akan lands such as Ashanti Kingdom, (conceived in a village called Bonwire, which remains the centre of manufacture) is the best known of all African textiles. Legend has it that Kente was first made by two Akan friends who went hunting in an Asanteman forest and found a spider making its web.The friends stood and watched the spider for two days then returned home and experimented until arriving at the method now used, which is woven in four-inch wide lengths then stitched into large pieces according to use.

Here is an indication of the complexity of the loom in use. I was told that children begin to learn the art of weaving as young as one year old!

 Kente comes from the word kenten, which means basket in Akan dialect, Asante. Akans refer to kente as nwentoma, meaning woven cloth. It is identified by its dazzling, multicoloured patterns of bright colours, geometric shapes and bold designs; Kente characterized by weft designs woven into every available block of plain weave is called adweneasa.
Originally a ceremonial cloth for royalty, Kente is now worn for special or celebratory occasions such as weddings.