Object Number: T/GHAN/251

Collection: British Empire & Commonwealth

Object Name: Cloth

: textile

Local Name: nsaduaso

Description: 'Kente' cloth from the Asante of Ghana. 16 narrow strips handsewn together. Plain gold coloured ground with woven pattern in red, green, black and blue (the weft is often striped but not in this cloth). Patterns at the ends are the same with a different middle section. Known as nsaduaso when made of silk, this style of weaving was reserved for chiefs. One pattern was known as adwinasa and meant 'my skill is exhausted'. Such cloths were usually commissioned from a weaver and were expensive to buy. Similar patterns are woven in cotton and rayon, and today printed cloth can be bought.

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