Kente Cloth
By:Allyssa
The word Kente comes from the word Kenten which means basket. Kente cloth is carefully woven cloth. It is made of cotton and spun into yarn. This is usually done by women. The threads are laid in different ways to give a name and meaning. The colors and patterns tell you about the person or the place it’s from. It is a very colorful cloth worn by both men and women.
Kente cloth is woven and worn by people in Ghana. Kente cloth is usually worn on special occasions. The Asante people also call Kente cloth “nwentona” or “woven cloth”. People in Ghana wear the cloth more to celebrations than to anything else. The cloth was originally for African royalty and worn to special social functions.
The threads in the cloth are laid in a special way to give the cloth a name and meaning. The names and meanings usually reflect the beliefs of the person who is wearing it, or historical events, and may be named after all manner of people.