Kente cloth composed of four hand woven cloth strips. Each strip has a wide white band flanked by two smaller white bands running down the length of a dark blue background. The strips have been stitched together along the long edge, and then embroidered with designs within small rectangles. Every second rectangle, offset from the neighbouring column, contains an embroidered band of red, flanked by gold, and then light green in horizontal bands. Fringed ends.

• Narrative

  Acquired in a Vancouver thrift shop in 2011.

• History Of Use

  Kente cloth is known for its colourful hand-woven patterns and is worn to celebrate special events. Over three hundred types of patterns have been identified and each contains layers of meaning derived from proverbs, historical events, authority figures and plants. In Ghana , it was customarily worn only by kings as a ceremonial cloth but it is now worn widespread. Kente cloth is viewed by the African diaspora as an icon of African cultural heritage wherever it is worn.

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• Type of Item cloth
• Culture Ghanaian
• Material cotton fibre, silk fibre, dye
• Measurements height 157.0 cm, width 41.0 cm (overall)

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• Previous Owner Denise Jacques
• Received from Denise Jacques

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• Made in Ghana

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• Ownership Date before September 16, 2020
• Acquisition Date on September 16, 2020

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• Item Classes textiles
• Condition good
• Accession Number 3448/0003