What is a Kente ceremony?

Kente Cloth Graduation Celebrations are annual ceremonies held on numerous campuses across the country to recognize the academic and cultural achievements of graduating Black, African-American, and African students.

What does the Kente cloth symbolize?

Kente is a meaningful sartorial device, as every aspect of its aesthetic design is intended as communication. The colors of the cloth each hold symbolism: gold = status/serenity, yellow = fertility, green = renewal, blue = pure spirit/harmony, red = passion, black = union with ancestors/spiritual awareness.

Who can wear Kente?

While any high school or college student qualifies to wear a Kente stole at their graduation, the display should hold a deep, personal significance for the wearer. Stoles were first used by the Catholic clergy in the 12th century, worn to distinguish rank or promotion within their hierarchy.

Why do black graduates wear Kente cloth?

Sponsored by the UNC Charlotte Alumni Association and the Black Alumni Chapter, the ceremony utilizes the West African kente cloth as a symbol of African American heritage, bestowed upon the graduate to commemorate the significance of graduation.

What does the Kente cloth represent at graduation?

Traditionally, among the Asante the woven Kente cloth is used to indicate a person's status in the tribe or village. Among the Ewe people, the Kente was given vand worn to indicate a certain rite of passage, occupation, or social position.

What is a Kente Ceremony?

What does kente mean in history?

Kente (Akan: kente or nwetoma; Ewe: kete; Dagbani: Chinchini) refers to a Ghanaian textile, made of handwoven cloth, strips of silk and cotton. Historically the fabric was worn in a toga-like fashion by royalty among ethnic groups such as the Ashanti and Ewe.

Who can wear a kente stole at graduation?

Considering that a stole can represent any major, all four-year college graduates technically qualify to wear a graduation stole at their ceremony. Members of Greek society are also identified by the unique stoles of their fraternities and sororities.

Why is kente cloth very special?

One of the reasons Kente cloth is so popular around the world is because two people can wear the cloth, and without saying a word, they can communicate with one another. For these people and their descendants, this brightly coloured, uniquely patterned cloth symbolises a unity with where they're from.

What two main West African tribes are known for kente?

Kente cloth (Asante and Ewe peoples) (article) | Khan Academy.

Who made kente?

The origins of the Kente cloth go back 400 years to West Africa, in what is now modern day Ghana. While its invention is often attributed to the people of the Ashanti Tribe, the Kente cloth may have instead been invented by the people in the Ewe Tribe, who later shared the tradition with the Ashanti.

When should kente cloth be worn?

Kente cloth was traditionally worn by royalty however in modern times they are worn by everyday people for special events such as weddings, naming ceremonies or funerals.

Is kente cloth sacred?

Kente is an Akan royal and sacred cloth worn only in times of extreme importance and is the cloth of kings and nobility, before finding its way into bags, and scarves sold around the globe nowadays. In Akan culture, the different colors and intricate patterns used in the weaving do have traditional meanings.

What does purple mean in kente cloth?

Gold or Yellow represents wealth and royalty. Green means growth, harvest, and renewal. White symbolizes purity, cleansing rites, and festive occasions. Purple or Maroon represents Mother Earth, healing, and protection from evil.

What was the Ashanti tribe known for?

They became famous for gold and brass craftsmanship, wood carving, furniture, and brightly colored woven cloth, called kente. Although the Ashanti maintained traditional beliefs, Muslim traders and Christian missionaries won some converts among them to their respective religions.

What is a cord for graduation?

Graduation cords are long, thin, colored ropes with tassels on each end that are worn around the neck during commencement ceremonies. These cords recognize graduates with academic honors or who have participated in certain groups or clubs, in colors determined by each school or club.

What is a Sankofa ceremony?

A Kente Graduation Celebration, also sometimes known as a Sankofa Ceremony, is a pre-commencement ceremony practiced in the United States, typically by African-American students graduating from high school or college, where participants are presented with a Kente stole to be worn over their gown during the graduation ...

What does a graduation stole mean?

An academic stole is a vestment used by various organizations to denote academic achievement. Its use includes membership of a professional organization, a high school valedictorian award, and adorns the academic regalia representing some university and college courses.

How do you wear a kente stole?

Denoting academic achievements or participation in extracurricular activities, stoles are worn over traditional gowns during graduation ceremonies. Around five inches in width, they're draped behind the neck over the student's gown, each side flowing down the front and near the bottom of the garment.

How do Ashanti people dress?

Adinkra, or pattern stamping, is traditional with the Asante people of Ghana. They stamp patterns on cloth with a calabash shell and then wear the special cloth for different occasions. If the cloth is black or red, the adinkra is worn at funerals and big departures.

What is kente made of?

Historically, when kente was used solely for royal courts or prestigious occasions, the strips were made of silk; today you'll also find kente made of cotton or rayon blends. While weaving kente is traditionally men's work, it is common to see both men and women donning these beautiful, wearable artworks.

What do you wear to a Ghanaian wedding?

Traditional Ghanaian wedding attire includes brightly colored and intricately patterned or embroidered kente fabric in traditional African fashion, made of handwoven silk and cotton, accompanied by resplendent gold jewelry. The bride wears a traditional headdress, sometimes resembling a crown for the wedding ceremony.

How do you dress like a Ghanaian?

Ghanaian women wear both traditional and Western clothes, and there are no restrictions on what can be worn. Just make sure your t-shirts or tops are long enough to cover your stomach. A skirt or loose-fitting trousers are good in the heat and will protect you from the sun.

Where is the origin of kente?

The Origins of Kente

Kente cloth is historically associated with the Asante Empire (also spelled Ashanti), a political state that began in the late 17th century in what is today the West African country of Ghana.