Know more about the Hidden Symbolic Meaning of African Kente Fabric

One of the most common and famous African textiles is the Kente Fabric. It is one of the beloved pieces of clothing among the African community. Kente Fabric is woven by both the male and female genders of the community.

 

With various colors of Kente Fabric, you should also learn about the meanings of different symbols imprinted on African Kente prints. The loom of handwoven kente fabric is designed to make a shawl-like garment known as “ntoma,” and it is worn by the chiefs and the queen mothers at festivals. 

 

Many people out there don’t know the meaning of the different patterns and colors of the Kente Print. Kente fabric is handwoven and originated from the Ghana region of West Africa.

 

African fashion has been a form of communication for the African people. Therefore, different symbols on the Kente fabric stand for the different cultural meanings you should learn about by reading this blog. 

 

The meanings of different colors on Kente Fabric:

 

• Red: symbolizes the meaning of death.

• Green represents fertility. 

• White: symbolizes purity.

• Blue: represents the meaning of love.

• Yellow: stands for the meaning of richness, royalty, prosperity, monetary wealth, and glorious.

• Purple: symbolizes calm and Sweet, which is mainly worn by the women. 

 

The meanings of the symbols on Kente cloth:

 

• Square: symbolizes the earth and the cosmos, feminity, fertility, and life. For the Akan society, a square is a symbol of matrilineal society.

• Triangle: represents life in the form of birth, existence, and death. 

• Diamond: represents the royalty to show their dual, linked roles as human and king. 

• Circle: symbolizes the meaning of infinity or eternity.

• Cross: represents the spirit and breath of life. 

• Zigzag: represents the meaning of the path of life that is not straight. 

• Golden stool: symbolizes power.

 

The weaving of Kente cloth is a familial tradition; thus, the looms of fabric are designed to represent a single unit of family, and it is worn by all the family members with specific motifs to represent themselves as belonging to a particular tribe. 

 

However, in Ghana, this weaving tradition is passed down from one generation to another in the family.  

 

The Kente fabric is a unique meaningful piece of clothing in the African fashion industry. The patterns and colors are the major factors that make this fabric unique, which tells so many stories and meanings with the help of a mere symbol on the cloth.