Kente cloth

Kente is a Ghanaian textile that holds official status as a geographical indication of Ghana, protecting its authenticity and origin. It consists of hand-woven strips made from silk and cotton.

In the past, the fabric was draped in a toga-like style by the Asante, Akan, and Ewe peoples. Asante oral tradition traces its beginnings to Bonwire, a town in Ghana’s Ashanti Region. Today, kente is widely worn across Ghana for special occasions, and brands run by master weavers are highly sought after.

Etymology

The word “kente” comes from kɛntɛn, meaning “basket” in the Asante dialect of Akan, a reference to its basket-like pattern. Among the Akan, it is also called nwentoma, or “woven cloth.” Ashanti folklore tells of weavers who created kente by trying to copy the web patterns of Anansi the spider.

History

Archaeological finds at Begho and Bono Manso—spindle whorls and dye holes—point to the earliest handloom weaving in southern Ghana, dating from the 14th to 18th centuries. At Wenchi, similar spindle whorls date to the 16th–17th centuries. According to Asante oral tradition, kente was introduced by a person from Bonwire who brought a loom from Bono Gyaman during the reign of Nana Oti Akenten in the 1600s.

Another oral account says it was developed locally in Bonwire under Osei Kofi Tutu I, inspired by a spider’s web. Early Asante weaving may have borrowed from the Gyaman region, and those early blue-and-white cotton striped cloths resemble Bondoukou cloths and others in West Africa. The colorful cloths later known as kente were an Asante innovation, made by dyeing and unraveling imported silk fabrics and weaving them into many patterns, each with its own meaning.

In the 1700s, Asantehene Opoku Ware I encouraged craft expansion, setting up a factory to advance weaving in the Ashanti Empire. Danish agents Nog and L.F. Rømer described the factory’s work: some subjects spun cotton and wove it into three-finger-wide bands; twelve strips sewn together made a sash, with white, blue, or sometimes red stripes.

Opoku Ware bought silk taffeta and other colored materials, which artists unraveled. By the late 1700s and early 1800s, silk kente was fully developed in Ashanti. In 1817, Thomas Edward Bowdich noted that Ashanti cloths were made “in all the varieties of colour, as well as pattern” and were “of an incredible size and weight.” The term “kente” may have been applied by Fante traders to these Ashanti fabrics.

The Ewe version of kente is made from double-woven bands. Oral tradition says Ewe weaving began in the 1500s, when weavers were among migrants who settled in Ghana from Benin Republic and western Nigeria. By the 1700s, Keta became a weaving center for Ewe migrants in southern Ghana.

The earliest written account of southern Ewe weaving comes from a 1718 report by a Dutch West India Company official visiting Keta. By 1881, weaving was a major industry among northern Ewe who had moved north of the Volta River. In December 2024, UNESCO recognized kente cloth as an intangible cultural heritage.

Production

Kente production falls into three types: authentic kente made by traditional weavers, kente print from brands like Vlisco and Akosombo Textile Ltd, and mass-produced kente patterns typically made in China for West Africans. Authentic kente is the most expensive; kente print prices vary by production method. Towns known for authentic kente weaving in the Ashanti region include Bonwire, Sakora Wonoo, Ntonso, Safo, and Adawomase.

Tools used in Kente weaving

Weaving is done on a wooden loom, pressing together multiple dyed threads. Apprentices train under a master weaver or company for years before creating their own patterns. Finished rolls are branded to show authenticity. Traditionally, weaving kente is considered a male activity.

There are hundreds of kente patterns, each with a name or message chosen by the weaver. Ghanaians often select cloths for their names as much as for their colors and patterns. While cloths are mainly identified by the patterns in the lengthwise (warp) threads, the name and appearance don’t always match. Names come from proverbs, historical events, important chiefs, queen mothers, or plants.

The cloth symbolizes high value. Ahwepan is a simple design of warp stripes made with plain weave and a single pair of heddles. Motifs are traditionally abstract, though some weavers include words, numbers, or symbols.