Handwaves Ashanti Kente Fabric

Kente cloth originated from the Ashanti people of Ghana and the EWE people of Togo and Ghana. It is an internationally-known African textile, the most famous. People knows more the wax fabric with kita pattern (known as Kita-like) that is commonly worn by African ladies, or used to create accessories. But the Real KENTE, the woven one is a royal textile.

The Kenté is an African textile made of silk and cotton, manufactured on a traditional loom. According to legend, two Ashanti brothers, Kurugu et Ameyaw from Bonwire village in Ghana, were hunting one afternoon and came across a spider spinning its web. They were so amazed by the beauty of the web, they wanted to create one like it. Back home, they manufactured the first Kenté cloth, with the black and whitefibers from a raffia tree.

Ewe people narrate the same legend, locating the creation of Kenté in their city of Agotime in Togo.

Afterward, dyes were created from plants, to come up with colorful threads that were woven together.

Kenté is not just Ashati or Ewé. It spreads later to other Akan ethnic groups of Ghana and Ivory Coast.

Approximate dimensions: 2 X 4 yards