Kente Cloth is a type of silk and cotton fabric made from interwoven cloth strips. Check out our beautiful Kente Fans here
This fabric is worn by almost every Ghanaian tribe.
Kente comes from the word kenten which means basket in the Asante dialect of Akan.
West Africa has had a cloth weaving culture for centuries via the stripweave method, but Akan history tells of the cloth being created independent of outsider influence. Kente cloth has its origin from the Akan-Ashanti kingdoms in Ghana.
As in most African cultures, colours and designs have symbolic meaning ; the colours in Kente cloth have special symbolism
- black: maturation, intensified spiritual energy
- blue: peacefulness, harmony and love
- green: vegetation, planting, harvesting, growth, spiritual renewal
- gold: royalty, wealth, high status, glory, spiritual purity
- grey: healing and cleansing rituals; associated with ash
- maroon: the color of mother earth; associated with healing
- pink: assoc. with the female essence of life; a mild, gentle aspect of red
- purple: assoc. with feminine aspects of life; usually worn by women
- red: political and spiritual moods; bloodshed; sacrificial rites and death.
- silver: serenity, purity, joy; associated with the moon
- white: purification, sanctification rites and festive occasions
- yellow: preciousness, royalty, wealth, fertility, beauty
