Kente Cloth
Kente (kenten means “basket”) is a hand-woven cloth originally from the Ashanti Kingdom, in Ghana, West Africa. It is one of the most recognizable textiles in Africa. Though originally worn only by royalty, it is now worn by both men and women. The strong, bold colors each have distinct meaning and symbolism. First and Second Graders learned about Kente Cloth through stories and by watching a YouTube clip. I shared my own personal example of Kente Cloth, made specially for my weaver's guild. The students painted their patterns with tempera, then used the a-b-a-b/over-under pattern to weave in painted strips.
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