Symbolic meanings of the colors in Kente cloth

Meanings of the colors in Kente cloth:
Black—maturation, intensified spiritual
energy
Blue—peacefulness, harmony and love
Green—vegetation, planting, harvesting,
growth, spiritual renewal
Gold—royalty, wealth, high status, glory,
spiritual purity
Grey—healing and cleansing rituals;
Maroon—the color of mother earth;
associated with healing
Pink—associated with the female essence of life; a mild, gentle aspect of red
Purple—assocoated with feminine aspects of life; usually worn by women
Red—political and spiritual moods;
bloodshed; sacrificial rites and death.
Silver—serenity, purity, joy; assoc. with the
moon
White—purification, sanctification rites and
festive occasions
Yellow—preciousness, royalty, wealth,
fertility, beauty.

A variety of kente patterns have been invented, each of which has a certain concept or concepts traditionally associated with it. For example, the Obaakofoo Mmu Man pattern symbolizes democratic rule ; Emaa Da, novel creativity and knowledge from experience; and
Sika Fre Mogya, responsibility to share
monetary success with one's relations.
Legend has it that kente was first made by two Akan friends who went hunting in an
Asanteman forest found a spider making its web. The friends stood and watched the
spider for two days then returned home and implemented what they had seen. West Africa has had a cloth weaving culture for centuries via the stripweave method, but Akan history tells of the cloth being created independent of outsider influence.

Origin
The origin of kente is in the Akan empire of
Bonoman . Most Akans migrated out of the
area that was Bonoman to create various
states.

Source: Wikipedia

Kente cloth

Kente cloth , known as nwentom in Akan , is a type of silk and cotton fabric made of
interwoven cloth strips and is native to the
Akan ethnic group of South Ghana .
Kente cloth has its origin with the Ashanti
Kingdom, and was adopted by people in Ivory Coast and many other West African counties.
It is an Akan royal and sacred cloth worn only in times of extreme importance and was the cloth of kings. Over time, the use of kente became more widespread. However, its importance has remained and it is held in high esteem with Akans.
Kente is made in Akan lands such as Ashanti Kingdom , (Bonwire, Adanwomase, Sakora Wonoo , Ntonso in the Kwabre areas of the Ashanti Region) and among Akans. Kente is also produced by Akans in Ivory Coast . Lastly, Kente is worn by many other groups who have
been influenced by Akans. It is the best known of all African textiles. Kente comes from the word kenten , which means basket in Akan dialect Asante . Akans refer to kente as nwentoma , meaning woven cloth.
The icon of African cultural heritage around the world, Akan kente is identified by its dazzling, multicolored patterns of bright colors, geometric shapes, and bold designs. Kente characterized by weft designs woven into every available block of plain weave is called adweneasa . The Akan people choose kente cloths as much for their names as their colors and patterns. Although the cloths are identified
primarily by the patterns found in the
lengthwise (warp) threads, there is often little correlation between appearance and name.
Names are derived from several sources,
including proverbs, historical events, important chiefs, queen mothers, and plants.
The Maroon people of Suriname in South
America are the descendants of people who were brought from Africa as slaves after the mid-1600s and who escaped to live in the forests of the interior, eventually obtaining the right of self-government from the colonial powers. The Pangi cloth made by the Maroons is a cotton fabric with multi-colored vertical and horizontal stripes, similar to West African kente cloth.

Source: Wikipedia

UNTOLD STORIES OF THE GHANAIAN CULTURE.

June 30, 2015
UNTOLD STORIES OF THE
GHANAIAN CULTURE.

I find it most difficult to
comprehend how people who are
self-professed experts in the study
and understanding of cultures not
akin to but remotely alien to them,
find joy in portraying the peoples’
culture in a derogatory manner.
Apallingly enough, the rage of the
times which is an emulation of
western culture or conventions
without a whiff of protecting our
identity as a people has led to some
aspects of the Ghanaian culture
being left to teether on the brink of
extinction.
Growing up, I relive my early years
and can only conclude that times
have changed and improvements
and modifications to culture have
been realised. But sadly, a lot of
these are in the wrong direction.
Whether seemingly out of ignorance
or an adamancy to adhere to the
right, we have contributed
immensely to our culture haven
deviated off of what made it
valuable.
As a direct result, most Ghanaian
citizens, especially those born and
brought up in recent years have no
recourse to the importance of
cultural aspects as dress,
homeliness, esteem for elders,
respect for our native languages
and all things Ghanaian. Gradually,
we are being doomed to suffering
in the abyss of an identity crisis as
we seem more keen on hallowing
those foreign practices that put paid
to our cherished heritage. The
culture of passing down
generational histories through the
art of oral story telling is on a sharp
decline towards extinction. Our old
ones who are considered as expert,
tell-it-all repositories of this store of
cultural knowledge are also dying
away with their accumulated store
without our learned experts haven
been able to tap into that for
posterity’s benefit.
It is such an unheard of
development to see a group of
technologists fashion out a
contraption ostensibly aimed at
making the art of revered fufu
pounding mechanical and more
easier. Most Ghanaians have
welcomed and made it a routine
replacement for the pestle and
mortar from ages old. They have no
regard for the ancient tales spun by
the rythmic thump thump of the
pestle’s ragged head against the
contents of the wooden mortar. I
watch television documentaries and
realise how the Japs and Koreans
blindside us into making their
products our preferred choice while
they religiously revere their
indigenous way of life which is very
evident even in aspects like
technology, arts and architecture.
From being a country with not so
much to fall on but their culture,
the Japanese have braved the tides
of modern advancement through a
heavy reliance on culture. Kimonos
are world standard forms of couture
now, yet Ghana’s kente is
laughingly made mockery of as
being a blanket as written by one
Joe-DeGraft Appiah of blessed
memory, (one of the pioneers of
Ghana’s independence struggle)
during his early years as a black
student in England.
I carry with me this sense of deep
foreboding that most of our
indigenous languages may be
corrupted into extinction if care is
not taken. Many an European or
western head of state has addressed
international forums in their own
indigenous language with no regard
for the discomfort of attending
members who have to rely heavily
on translating machines in order to
comprehend what is said. My point
here is that, the making of an
indigenous language as the national
lingua franca, not only shows
national pride but also belief in the
capabilities of the country in
perspective.
The tales we spin will forever keep
unravelling for as long as it rains
and thunders roll in the heavens.
This is just a beginning of the
untold stories of the Ghanaian
culture.

PUBLISHED BY COBY DANIELS
https://thawritershub.wordpress.com