kenten

Kente cloth with green warp with maroon, yellow and green design.

Traditional multicoloured chequered woven cloth worn across the body and covering the left shoulder at important festivals and occasions. Different designs of kente cloth have different names and stories attached to them, and in the past some could only be worn by the king himself; one style of kente weaving called Asasia required incredible skill and only the king could commission its making and allocate who could wear it.
Designs were sometimes named after their owner and praised their virtues while others reflected Ashanti proverbs and historic events.
Kente is worn by men and women alike.

Collection Information

These objects are only a part of our collections, of which there are more than 350,000 objects. This information comes from our collections database. Some of this is incomplete and there may be errors. This part of the website is also still under construction, so there may be some fields repeated or incorrectly formatted information.

The database retains language taken from historical documents to help research. Please note that some records may feature language and reflect systems of thinking that are outdated and offensive. The database also includes information on objects that are considered secret or sacred by some communities.

If you have any further information about objects in our collections, can suggest corrections to our information or if you see content requiring immediate action, please contact us: enquiry@horniman.ac.uk