Expert weavers, the Gobah Tengey-Seddoh Family creates this exquisite shawl from prized kente cloth. Fashioned of strips hand-woven on special looms, this traditional textile was commissioned by kings of the Asante peoples of south central Ghana in the late seventeenth century to create a rich official regalia. For centuries since, the Asante have worn kente as a garment of celebration. Each strip requires considerable effort, and the looms are worked with both hands and feet. Strips are generally three to four inches wide and seven to ten feet long, and the length of time it takes to complete one strip varies by the complexity of the chosen pattern. The simplest use mostly vertical, or warp patterns, and an experienced weaver can make several of those in one day. But patterns with nearly all weft (horizontal thread) patterns where the warp design is hardly visible can take up to four days to complete an individual strip. Each color has its own meanings in Asante culture. Green is fertility and new harvest, gold is royalty, black is strength, aging and spirituality, white is purity. The patterns themselves are carefully chosen symbols which a master weaver develops and names, often to honor people, historical events, or proverbs. Named Fiavi (Prince), this pattern was worn by the sons of chiefs and kings as they sat in state to receive homage from their subjects. For best results, hand wash in cool water and use a warm iron.
