KENTE, AND EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE GHANAIAN TEXTILE PRINT

KENTE, AND EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE GHANAIAN TEXTILE PRINT

When you put on an outfit, do you think of the message it communicates? The power it wields? Whether consciously or unconsciously, we all do. If the desire is to communicate royalty and class and inspire a sense of culture, then Kente would do the trick. 

On the surface, kente can be seen as an appealing fabric with fascinating designs and beautiful colors. However, when you enquire further, you will find Kente prints to be a nonverbal language with symbols woven into cloth by trained artisans. 

At African Royalty, we design every outfit with attention and purpose, hence the adaptation of Kente. This post will teach you about kente's origin, history, symbolism, and modern adaptations. 

 

WHAT IS KENTE?

Produced initially in Akan nations like the Ashanti (also known as Asante) Kingdom in Ghana, West Africa, and the Akans in Ivory Coast, Kente is a fabric woven from silk and cotton. 

Kente is made from a narrow band of fabric roughly four inches wide and woven on a horizontal strip loom. Several of these strips are meticulously organized and hand-stitched together to construct a cloth of the required size. When weaving, a warp (a row of parallel threads running vertically) and weft (another row of parallel threads running horizontally) are crossed.

A weaver can produce intricate patterns by alternating the colors in the warp and weft; these patterns are prized in Kente cloth for both their aesthetic appeal and their symbolic meaning. Patterns can be found horizontally (in the weft), vertically (in the warp), or both.

 

 

HISTORY OF KENTE

The history of how Kente came to be is a tale of how two young men (Ota Karaban and Kwaku Ameyaw) observed a spider weaving its web and marvelled at the patterns that shone in the spider's web while it was being woven by the moonlight. The spider, called Ananse, had shown them how to weave. Both men are from the Ashanti people in Ghana. The first monarch of the Ashanti kingdom was informed of their newly discovered expertise, and he adopted the cloth as a royal cloth saved for special occasions.

The term 'Kenten', which in the Asante dialect of the Akan people signifies basket, is the ancestor of the word kente. Kente is referred to as nwentoma, a native term for “woven cloth."  Historical research shows that there is only sometimes a connection between the name and the appearance of the kente fabric. The fabrics are typically named after historical occurrences, proverbs, literary works, accomplishments, notable individuals, and the natural world.

 

SYMBOLIC SIGNIFICANCE AND TYPES OF KENTE

The colors and their significance determine the aesthetic design of Kente cloth. Colors are chosen for both their symbolic meanings and visual impact. Different colors and patterns used in Kente can have various meanings or connotations. 

Here are some of the colors found in kente fabric, along with what they stand for:

  • Black symbolizes heightened spiritual energy and maturation.
  • Blue symbolizes harmony, serenity, and love.
  • Green represents growth, planting, harvesting, and spiritual rebirth.
  • Gold represents luxury, prosperity, rank, splendor, and spiritual purity.
  • Grey symbolizes practices of healing and purification; related to ash.
  • Maroon is the hue of the earth and is thought to be therapeutic.
  • Pink is a soft, delicate red variation associated with the female energy of life.
  • Purple is a color associated with femininity and is typically worn by women.
  • Red symbolizes violence, sacrifice, death, and political and spiritual inclinations.
  • Silver symbolizes tranquility, cleanliness, and joy linked to the moon.
  • White represents ceremonies of sanctification, celebrations, and purification.
  • Yellow symbolizes riches, royalty, fertility, and beauty.

 

Some known patterns include

  • Obaakofoo Mmu Man pattern: represents democratic government
  • Emaa Da: represents fresh creativity and experience-based understanding.
  • Sika Fre Mogya: represents the obligation to share financial prosperity with loved ones.

 

MODERN ADAPTATION OF KENTE

Although it is no longer exclusively used by royalty, Kente is still a symbol of wealth, status, and sophistication. In modern times, Kente can now be sewn into other fabrics or as patches; this was not the case initially.

Our adaptation of the Kente Print at African Royalty is influenced majorly by the diversification in the meaning of the print, the richness of African culture, and the aesthetics. Sometimes, regular can be boring when it comes to fashion; with Kente fabric, that is never the case. Wearing any of our Kente outfits will make you unique and undoubtedly classy.