The designs and motifs in kente cloth are traditionally abstract with for instance warped stripes, triangles, zigzags, lines and squares. Mostly geometric forms in bright colors and bold designs
Kente is Used not only for its beauty but also for its symbolic significance. Each cloth has a name and a meaning; and each of the numerous patterns and motifs has a name and a meaning. Names and meanings are derived from historical events, individual achievements, proverbs, philosophical concepts, oral literature, moral values, social code of conduct of conduct, human behavior and certain attributes of plant and animal life. Patterns and motifs are rendered in geometric abstractions of objects associated with the intended meaning.
The main symbols on Kente cloth:
Square – represents the earth and the cosmos, femininity, fertility and life. It is also a symbol of Akan matrilineal society
Triangle – symbolizes life (birth, existence and death); • diamond – worn by royalty to show their dual, linked roles as man and chief / man and king
Circle – represents eternity / infinity (no beginning and no end) of royal power and lineage
Cross – symbolizes the spirit and breath of life
Zigzag – means that life does not follow a straight path
Golden stool – symbol of power
Asante weavers give each craft work a name that indicates clan, social status, or sexuality, such as AberewaBene meaning “a wise old man symbolized wisdom and maturity.” Other Kente design names form proverbs reflecting the Asante ethos and worldview. Owu nhye da (“Death has no fixed date”) is said to encourage people to right living, as death may come unexpectedly and allow no time for penitence.
Nkum me fie na nkosu me aboten (“Don’t kill my house and then mourn for me in public”) cautions against the two-faced and duplicitous impulse of human nature. Kente cloth materialized the spoken rhetoric of proverbs and circulated them among the Asante as sartorial textiles
Kente is and has always been, without doubt, an extraordinary cloth. Each color and pattern holds deep meaning. It is indeed a classic cultural item of African heritage and esteem. The intricacy and exquisiteness of the cloth is appreciated all around the world, and people of African ancestry should wear it with great pride. The availability of kente for all in no wise diminishes its undeniable status as a symbol of nobility, cultural erudition and social prestige.
I did not have any intension to change these deep meanings or to abuse the traditional patterns. Kente has been an inspiration to me to design and experiment as an artist with the colors and abstract motives to create new digital patterns.
Sources
Many thanks to the interesting articles, Kenthe Cloth PDF and many video’s on https://www.kentecloth.net
This article uses material from the SITE BLACK PERSPECTIVES, ARTICLE WRITTEN BY James Padilioni, Jr (thanks!)
https://www.aaihs.org/the-history-and-significance-of-kente-cloth-in-the-black-diaspora/
Thanks to Ayeeko, please read this Blog if you want to know so much more about Kente! https://ayeeko.africa/blogs/blog/kente-cloth-kente-patterns-and-meaning
Smith, Shea Clark. “Kente Cloth Motifs”, African Arts, vol. 9, no. 1 (October 1975): 36-39.
John Gillow African textiles : color and creativity across a continent, New York (2016). ISBN 978-0-500-29221-1.
Okemwa, S. Nyanchama, Kympers, M., & Callewaert, S. (2022).Pagne Africain : een pan-Afrikaanse textielexpo. Gent: Industriemuseum.
This article uses material from the Wikipedia article Kente cloth, which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License
Thanks to Wikimedia Commons and Unsplash, Pexels