6789 Quail Hill Pkwy, Suite 211 Irvine CA 92603. Weaving kente cloth is a cultural tradition of the Asante (also known as Ashanti) people, and these fabrics were originally used exclusively to dress kings and their courts. Adinkra cloth … The Kente fabric gained fame during the rule of King Osei Tutu-1. Each color, just like each shape and pattern on the Kente, carries a specific meaning to the wearer of the cloth:Â, The colors, patterns, and shapes woven together on each Kente cloth combine to represent a story, theme, or anecdote, or symbolize the wearer’s clan or specific set of values.Â. The above phrase means that the king is omniscient, and he knows everything. Ghana: Traditional Kente Cloth (detail) "Ghana: Traditional Kente Cloth (detail) of the Ashanti (or Asante) people, first developed in the 12th century.Kente Cloth is handwoven in narrow strips in traditional patterns on a four-harness loom, and handsewn into larger pieces as desired. Enthusiasts of the kente cloth have always loved the colors, patterns and textures, its inerrant boldness and pride. Women wrap the cloth around their body as well but wear a shirt over it. Ashanti folklore includes a story where weavers invented kente by seeking to replicate the patterns of Anansi the spider. Kente cloth is particularly popular in the United States among African-Americans and can be found on all types of clothing, accessories, and objects. Each block, pattern, and color has a distinct name and meaning, and the cloth often includes adinkra symbols, which represent concepts or sayings. The word kente comes from the word kenten which denotes a basket. Gold symbolizes status/serenity, green means renewal, blue means pure spirit/harmony, red is passion and black is … How Do You Throw a Cheap Graduation Party? by Chep Leave a Comment on What Do the Colours of Kente Cloth Represent? There are both the good and the bad times that make people’s life a challenge to live. Every design has its own meaning. A weaver's choice of colors for both weft and warp designs, may be dictated either by tradition or by individual aesthetic taste. Anyone who’s been to Africa will attest that it’s a highly animated land of color and soul. Black – MaturityBlue – Love and PeaceGreen – Harvest, Health, and RejuvenationGold – Riches, Royalty, and ProsperityGray – Healing and CaringMaroon – Mother Earth and all the goodness associated with mother.Pink and Purple – Femininity and GraceRed – Death and StruggleSilver – Joy and BlissWhite – Purity and SanctityYellow – Fertility and Value. The word ‘kente’ means ‘basket’. Each color, just like each shape and pattern on the Kente, carries a specific meaning to the wearer of the cloth: Black, the most significant and incorporated color of Kente, represents spiritual strength and maturity. Graduation gowns should fit loosely and securely if ordered in the right size. Placing the weft in varying rows results in the formation of varying geometric shapes such as an hour-glass, triangle, wedges, circles, rectangles etc. Saved by Nichole Gates. Everything is supposed to change. Kente King has been the most trusted source of kente cloth to the international markets and the same quality that goes into producing the finest kente fabrics. Kente cloth is particularly popular in the United States among African-Americans and can be found on all types of clothing, accessories, and objects. There are 20 designs featured here and each design's meaning is included as well. The Spring 2017 Graduation Ceremony at Florida A&M University (Courtesy of FAMU News) Below given is a comprehensive list of some of the most commonly used colors in kente fabric. GHANA’S KENTE CLOTH . Like the Dashiki, and many other creations of the West African masses, the Kente fabric also has its roots in the West African soil. Colors and Meanings. Each individual pattern rectangle is approximately 10 cm. What is vital to know is the meanings that are associated with these colors, and the use of the same in the fabric. Even now, when there is some new creation made out of the Kente fabric, it is first dedicated to the royal family. Kente is an Akan royal and sacred cloth worn only in times of extreme importance and is the cloth of kings and nobility, before finding its way into bags, and scarves sold around the globe nowadays. Black: symbolises mystery, spiritual … Each block, pattern, and color has a distinct name and meaning, and the cloth often includes … Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. In kente cloth, colors are significant, conveying these meanings: Each block, pattern, and color has a distinct name and meaning, and the cloth often includes adinkra symbols, which represent concepts or sayings. The cloth is still made in the traditional way in Adanwomse in the Ashanti region of Ghana. Kente cloth materialized the spoken rhetoric of proverbs and circulated them among the Asante as sartorial text/iles. Akan language, referencing its basket-like pattern or the Anansi spinning its web the. Made of kente cloth has meaning, which means basket in the Asante dialect of Akan loosely securely..., Suite 211 Irvine CA 92603 we 'll assume you 're ok with this, but you can come to... Prior to running these cookies on your browsing experience are themselves composed of panels of alternating designs should! Is symbolic of the fabric is also made by the Ashanti Quail Hill Pkwy kente cloth color meanings Suite 211 Irvine 92603... 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