The Symbolic Meanings of Kente Cloth Designs Among The Asantes and Ewes of Ghana

Kente is one of the renowned native materials of Ghana. The beginning of the art is divided between the Asante ethnic culture in the southern piece of the Ashanti locale and the Ewe ethnic culture in the Volta area of Ghana. The hours of finding the craft of weaving and the plans among the two gatherings were concurrent. While the Asantes accept that they gained the art from how grass normally interlocks, the Ewes guarantee they gained the specialty from the red and dark stripped cobra which is their symbol. Whatever be the situation, there are fascinating examples and shades of the native material that have intriguing representative implications that uncover the qualities, standards and convictions of the ethnic societies. It is fundamental that wearers of this renowned fabric know the importance of the plans and styles so they can wear them to suitable events.

Asante Kente Names and Designs

There are fundamentally five kente weave designs on which the different complicated and various examples begin. These are Adwin, Akyem, Ahwepan or Hweepan, Nkyeretire or Nkyereano and Faprenu.

• The Adwin kente design is a plan weave design which exceptionally wonderful. It is noted for its perplexing plans consequently the name Adwin (expertise). It requires finesse or incredible expertise with respect to the weaver to have the option to emerge with this weave design.

• The Akyem kente design is noted for its vivid nature. It was named after the neighborhood bird with various hued feathers called Akyem by the Asantes of Ghana. Because of the variety in its tones, it is costly and is worn by the rich in the general public.

• The Ahwepan or Hweepan kente design has no plan in it thus the name ‘hwee’ amounting to ‘nothing’. It is the most straightforward of all the weave designs. No big surprise it is woven by novices and new understudies.

• The Nkyeretire or Nkyereano kente design has the plans showing up just at the edges (‘tire’or ‘ano’) of the woven material with the center of the fabric without any plans.

• The Faprenu kente design has two or twofold (prenu) twist sheets woven along with one weft sheet. It is exceptionally minimized, solid and sturdy. For this reason it was worn by significant characters in the native Ghanaian culture.

• Kyeretwie (kyere-catch, twie-panther). This kente weave design implies one’s capacity to catch a live panther. Because of the way that it is an extremely meticulous errand thusly, this kente design is related with power, may and boldness. Its wearer was considered such. Subsequently, this kente design was saved and confined for extraordinary bosses.

• Adwinasa (Adwin-expertise, Asa-depleted). This kente weave design implies the kente weaver has utilized or utilized every one of the abilities and plans that he knows in the weaving of the material and has depleted every one of them. It is an extremely perplexing weave design which is pricey. Along these lines, significant characters and bosses were permitted to wear this kente design.

• Obo fa, dade fa (somewhat stone, mostly metal). Kente cloth This kente weave design is worn for burial service functions. It helps individuals to remember the dispossessed family and supporters that demise is essential for man (obo-we are dust) in this way we really want to bear the deficiency of the cherished one with a solid inward strength (dade-like metal).

Asante Kente Names and Designs

• Ehianaga (Ehiana-required, ga-cash). It implies cash is required in the Ewe tongue. It is a beautiful kind of kente weave among the Ewes. The name suggests that to have the option to buy the kente material requires a lot of cash. It is worn by the rich and renowned in the general public.

• Lorlofukpekpe (lorlor-love, fukpekpe-transformed into torment). This kente weave design fills in as a suggestion to the wearer and spectators that one’s assumptions may not forever be satisfied and that one might confront disillusionment or grievousness from those the person loves like accomplices, companions, and family members.

• Afiadeke Mefa o (Afiadeke-Nowhere, Mefa-cool). This kente design in a real sense signifies ‘no place is cool’. It exhorts us that we want not need for what other have and gripe harshly about our condition. It reproves us to be content or like what our identity is, what we have and the conditions that we track down ourselves.

• Fiawo Yome (Fiawo-ruler, Yome-second or next). This kente weave design signifies ‘close to rulers or second to royals’. It is an extremely excellent and costly weave design. It is worn by notable individuals in the general public.

The imagery of the Kente designs that have been examined among the two ethnic societies is as for the primary and exceptionally well known plans of the native material. Nonetheless, there are other fluctuated plans with enamoring representative translations. Finding out about these representative undertones of the fabric will extend the comprehension of the way of life of these energetic ethnic social orders in Ghana.