How do narrow woven strips become a kente wrapper?
A kente wrapper has more than one scale of construction: threads form narrow woven strips, and strips are joined into a larger cloth. Their arrangement contributes to the overall pattern. Museum examples by Asante-Akan and Ewe makers show variation, so one cloth’s strip count or materials should not become a universal rule.
Questions you could explore
- How can the same strips produce a different visual rhythm when rearranged?
Start reading
- The Metropolitan Museum of ArtWrapper, 1993.384.2
The Met’s Asante-Akan wrapper record describes its construction and materials.
- The Metropolitan Museum of ArtMan's kente (prestige cloth), 2010.555
A separate Ewe wrapper record explains strip assembly and identifies the object’s materials and period.
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