Kente
/ˈkɛn.teɪ/noun
A brightly colored handwoven textile associated especially with the Akan and Ewe peoples of Ghana and Togo.
Did you know?Kente was historically associated with royalty and authority, while its colors and patterns could communicate ideas such as spirituality, prosperity, mourning, or political identity.
Etymological Timeline
Before the 20th Century
Akan/Twi
kenten
“Basket; often identified as the source of the name because some kente patterns resemble basketry.”
Before the 20th Century
Ewe
kete
“A related term for woven cloth or a woven textile in Ewe usage; the precise relationship between kete and Akan kente is debated.”
18th–19th Century
Akan
nwentoma
“Woven cloth; a traditional Akan term for the textile now widely called kente.”
19th–20th Century
English
kente
“An English borrowing referring to the distinctive strip-woven Ghanaian textile.”
Modern English
English
kente
“A globally recognized Ghanaian textile and a symbol of African heritage, identity, ceremony, and cultural pride.”