About the Kente Cloth Pattern

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Kente Pattern Name

ABUSUA YE DOM

(ah-BU-shu-ah YAY-dome)

Literally means "the extended family is a force."

Among the Akan peoples, the extended family is the foundation of society. Like a military force, members of the family are collectively responsible for the material and spiritual well-being, the physical protection and the social security of all its members.

This Kente cloth pattern was designed to celebrate and reinforce such positive attributes of the extended family system. In its many variations and background colors the cloth symbolizes STRONG FAMILY BOND, THE VALUE OF FAMILY UNITY, COLLECTIVE WORK and RESPONSIBILITY and COOPERATION.

What is Kente?

Kente (KENN-tay) is an Asante (Ah-SHAN-Teh) ceremonial cloth hand-woven on a horizontal treadle loom. Strips measuring about four inches wide are sewn together into larger pieces of cloth. Clothes featuring Kente patterns come in various colors, sizes and designs and are worn during very important social and religious occasions.

In a total cultural context, Kente is more important than just a cloth. It is a visual representation of history, philosophy, ethics, oral literature, moral values, social code of conduct, religious beliefs, political thought and aesthetic principles.

The term Kente has its roots in the word kenten which means a basket. The first kente weavers used raffia fibers to weave cloths that looked like kenten (a basket); and thus were referred to as kenten ntoma (kenn-ten En-toe-mah); meaning basket cloth.

The original Asante name of the cloth was nsaduaso (En-sah-do-AH-soh) or nwontoma , meaning "a cloth hand-woven on a loom" and is still used today by Asante weavers and elders. The term Kente is the most widely used today in and around the west African nation of Ghana.

Many variations of narrow-strip cloths, similar to Kente are woven by various ethnic groups in Ghana and elsewhere in western Africa.  In addition to the traditional patterns, modern patterns are devised as well.

NOTE:  The Asante are one of the Akan (Ah-KANN) peoples who live in parts of the western African nations of Ghana and Cote d'lvoire.

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