Ashanti Nwentoma or Kente Ceremonial Cloth

Dark orange and black cloth packed with repeating diamonds and triangles.

This nwentoma or Kente ceremonial cloth is Ashanti, from Ghana, West Africa, and dates to the 20th century. Colors in kente carry meanings: gold stands for royalty, wealth and spiritual purity, silver for serenity and joy, and blue for peacefulness, harmony and love. Wide woven cloth in burnt orange with dark blue and gold diamond lattice across the center. Wide bordering bands at either side show bolder stepped patterns, and the fringed edges are slightly uneven. It is 136 inches wide and 90 long.

Dense with pattern and entirely without a spare thread.