Art Institute of Chicago

Woman's Kente Wrappers

Ewe

Mid–20th century

Attribution

Ewe Ghana

Medium

.1: Pieced of 15 strips of cotton, warp striped plain weave with supplementary patterning and brocading wefts and self-patterned by bands of ground weft-floats .2: Pieced of 12 strips of cotton, warp striped plain weave with supplementary patterning and brocading wefts and self-patterned by bands of ground weft-floats

Physical dimensions

.1: 172 × 137.4 cm (67 3/4 × 54 1/8 in.) .2: 166 × 106.8 cm (65 3/8 × 42 in.)

Credit line

Gift of Gil and Roda Graham

From the museum

Although kente is widely associated with Asante people, their Ewe neighbors also produce garments using a similar technique. The blue-and-white color scheme of these wrappers recalls early kente cloth made by both the Asante and the Ewe in the 18th century. Woven with undyed and indigo-dyed cotton, the narrow strips of light and dark rectangles are arranged to create the characteristic kente checkerboard pattern. The two cloths seen here would have been worn as a set, with the larger rectangular panel worn around the woman’s torso and the square cloth worn as shawl or a head wrap, depending on the occasion.

Description: Art Institute of Chicago · CC BY 4.0