Asante & Ewe Kente
Homes & Antiques|July 2024
This West African stripwoven cloth dates back centuries and is still manufactured today, representing a vibrant symbol of the area's history and traditions, says Celia Rufey
Celia Rufey
Asante & Ewe Kente

Kente stripweaving is a centuriesold tradition practised by the Asante and Ewe (Ev-ay) people of West Africa. The word comes from kenten, meaning basket possibly recalling a time of weaving with plant fibre.

Stripweaves are hand-woven on a narrow loom in lengths of 60 metres or more, but each strip is only 10cm wide. The strips are cut to required lengths and hand-sewn together, selvedge to selvedge, into traditional garments for men and women. Historically, these were garments worn by royalty and others of high social status on royal and sacred occasions in the Asante tradition, and less formally by the Ewe. For men, the one-piece garment is draped over the shoulder in a style reminiscent of a toga; for women, two or three pieces are wrapped tightly around the body.

Kente stripweaving is thought to have origins in Mali as early as the 11th century. Weavers took the narrow loom tradition with them when they journeyed towards the coast in the footsteps of European traders. The Asante and Ewe people are recorded as weaving stripcloths in what is now Ghana by the 15th century, even though we don't know what that cloth looked like. The earliest complete kente from these areas date from the mid-19th century.

この記事は Homes & Antiques の July 2024 版に掲載されています。

7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。

この記事は Homes & Antiques の July 2024 版に掲載されています。

7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。

HOMES & ANTIQUESのその他の記事すべて表示
48 hours in FUNCHAL
Homes & Antiques

48 hours in FUNCHAL

Jenny Oldaker discovers Madeira's capital to be an elegant, artistic place with wide open spaces, verdant beauty spots and a picture-perfect sea-facing location...

time-read
4 分  |
November 2024
LUKE HONEY'S Enthusiasms
Homes & Antiques

LUKE HONEY'S Enthusiasms

On an autumn day in 1783, a sheep, a duck, and a rooster became the first living creatures to fly in a hot air balloon.

time-read
3 分  |
November 2024
Collecting NUTCRACKERS
Homes & Antiques

Collecting NUTCRACKERS

Not just for Christmas, these nostalgic keepsakes come in an abundance of novelty shapes and styles, offering character and affordability for budding collectors

time-read
4 分  |
November 2024
WHY I COLLECT Medals
Homes & Antiques

WHY I COLLECT Medals

Oliver Miller, managing director of Bishop & Miller Auctioneers and Valuers, is fascinated by medals - for him it's all about the preservation of stories for future generations...

time-read
3 分  |
November 2024
Fashionably CURATED
Homes & Antiques

Fashionably CURATED

Roni Lang's home in Deal, situated above her clothing store, is every bit as creative and stylish as you'd expect from a fashion designer

time-read
2 分  |
November 2024
Work life balance
Homes & Antiques

Work life balance

Lucy and Guy Rutter - a ceramicist and artist respectively - have found the ideal place to live and work: a Victorian property in Faversham attached to a once-neglected studio...

time-read
2 分  |
November 2024
Farm FUSION
Homes & Antiques

Farm FUSION

A farmhouse near Cape Town has been given a rustic-meets-industrial makeover, using found materials and objects, as well as treasures brought back from afar

time-read
2 分  |
November 2024
SAVVY Sophistication
Homes & Antiques

SAVVY Sophistication

Affordable and intriguing charity shop and eBay finds are teamed with statement pieces in this impressive Victorian home in West Yorkshire

time-read
3 分  |
November 2024
DARREN APPIAGYEI
Homes & Antiques

DARREN APPIAGYEI

The wood artist talks to Dominique Corlett about seed pods, creative reinvention and the life-enhancing feeling of turning a lathe

time-read
4 分  |
November 2024
Collecting Dioramas MINIATURE WORLDS
Homes & Antiques

Collecting Dioramas MINIATURE WORLDS

From elaborate taxidermy museum displays to humble folk art creations, a diorama can transport us to another time and place

time-read
4 分  |
Special 2024