Wrapper
date: label: Date
content: Early-late 19th century
name: label: Maker
content: Nana Tiko
label: Maker
content: Asante artist
notes: label: Label Text
content: Woven by Nana Tiko in Bonwire, this silk wrapper is handsewn of eight strips with a repeating geometric composition of blocks with zigzags and checkers. In West Africa, cloth is made of wool, cotton or silk, or combinations of these materials. Woven on narrow strip looms, they are then hand or machine-sewn together to create large wrappers, cloths or blankets with patterns dyed or woven into the fabric.
label: Label Text
content: The cloth type is known as Asasia, the rarest and most prestigious of the cloths. It is woven on three pairs of heddles, producing a distinctive twill pattern in the diagonal alignment of the weft floats. The third pair of heddles allows for a more intricate weft pattern.
label: Label Text
content: Asasia cloths are the exclusive prerogative of the Asantehene and those he designates. They were traditionally woven by a single family of weavers in Bonwire. When Venice Lamb was conducting her research from 1968 to 1972, she was told that there was only one weaver in the town who remembered the twill patterns and that he was no longer able to execute them. During research as recently as 1997, however, several weavers were reported as being capable of producing Asasia. It was only commissions from the Asantehene or other entitled chiefs that were lacking. Regardless, it is evident that these are the most labor intensive weavings.
label: Label Text
content: Lamb, Venice. 1975. West African Weaving. London: Duckworth, pp. 125-128.
label: Label Text
content: Ross, Doran. 1998. Wrapped in Pride. Los Angeles: Fowler Museum of Cultural History, University of California, p. 81.
label: Description
content: Silk wrapper composed of eight strips with fringed ends and featuring repeating geometric designs in yellow, red, green and black checkered and zig zag motif.
label: Provenance
content: Venice and Alastair Lamb, England, purchased in Bonwire, Ghana, 1970 to 1983-1985
label: Published References
content: Ross, Doran. 1998. Wrapped in Pride. Los Angeles: Fowler Museum of Cultural History, University of California, pp. 81, 298, nos. 6.15, 8.
label: Content Statement
content: As part of our commitment to accessibility and transparency, the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art is placing its collection records online. Please note that some records are incomplete (missing image or content descriptions) and others reflect out-of-date language or systems of thought regarding how to engage with and discuss cultural heritage and the specifics of individual artworks. If you see content requiring immediate action, we will do our best to address it in a timely manner. Please email nmafacuratorial@si.edu if you have any questions.
label: Image Requests
content: High resolution digital images are not available for some objects. For publication quality photography and permissions, please contact the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives at https://africa.si.edu/research/eliot-elisofon-photographic-archives/
place: label: Geography
content: Bonwire, Ghana
title: label: Object Name
content: <I>kente</I>
topic: label: Topic
content: Status
label: Topic
content: Adornment
label: Topic
content: Female use
label: Topic
content: geometric motif
label: Topic
content: male
setName: label: See more items in
content: National Museum of African Art Collection
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: National Museum of African Art, National Museum of Natural History, purchased with funds provided by the Smithsonian Collections Acquisition Program, 1983-85, EJ10579
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of African Art
identifier: label: Object number
content: EJ10579
objectType: label: Type
content: Textile and Fiber Arts
objectRights: label: Restrictions & Rights
content: CC0
physicalDescription: label: Medium
content: Silk, synthetic dye
label: Dimensions
content: H x W: 154 x 65.2 cm (60 5/8 x 25 11/16 in.)