Lana Kente | Tessuto tra leggende e storia

Wool Kente | Woven between legends and history

Kente was developed around the 17th century AD by the people of the Asanti Kingdom; can be traced back to the long tradition of African weaving dating back to around 3000 BC. The origin of Kente is based on both legends and history.

According to legend, a man named Ota Karaban and a friend, Kwaku, from a town called Bonwire (a leading Kente-making town in Ghana) received weaving lessons from a spider who spun its web. They tried to do the same by weaving a beautiful raffia fabric. They later told their story to the Nana (chief) Bobie, who intended to convey the important news to the paramount chief of the Ashanti, the Asantehene.

The Asantehene did not hesitate to adopt the fabric for all Asante as the national fabric for special occasions such as funerals, festivals, naming ceremonies and weddings. Subsequently the production was improved but the name which later became "Kente" was maintained. It is also believed that Kente was an original design of Bonwire. Bonwire is located 18km from the Kumasi – Mampong road. It is a settlement with hundreds of Kente weavers.
Historically, the origin of kente weaving could be traced back to the traditions of the ancient West African kingdoms between 300 AD and 1600 AD

Some historians are of the opinion that Kente is a development of various weaving traditions that existed around the 17th century. However, while Kente cloth may have originated around the 11th century in West African weaving traditions, the art of Kente weaving developed first in Africa. In some parts of Africa, archaeological excavations have revealed weaving tools such as spindles and looms, weights in the early Moroe Empire.

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