Minneapolis Institute of Art

Man's cloth

Ewe artist

Date

19th-20th century

Medium

Cotton, rayon, plain weave, weft face weave, supplementary weft patterning

Culture

Ewe

Department

Arts of Global Africa

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

Adangbe weavers within the Ewe culture produce exquisite textiles that serve as cultural symbols and as objects of adornment associated with rites of passage or rituals. Both men and women wear wrappers of this type of fabric at formal or ceremonial gatherings such as weddings, funerals, or the enthronement of a chief. Ewe cloth is produced by professional weavers on narrow-strip looms. The long, thin strips are pieced together with patterned areas alternating with blocks of solid colors, producing an overall basket weave effect. A distinguishing feature of Ewe cloth is the use of representational imagery in the some of pattern blocks, and this particular piece features designs of human figures, fish, stools, drums and other geometric designs. Ghana, Africa

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