Kente cloth scarf, "His Better Half"

The colors of fields in springtime shimmer on a rich black background in this exquisite textile by the Gobah Tengey-Seddoh Family. Created of hand-loomed kente cloth, the motif was created to honor the wife of Fathia Nkrumah, Ghana's first president. Fathia fa means "better half." In the 1960s, another, brighter kente cloth was created for the president and named Fathia Fata Nkrumah.

Expert weavers, the Gobah Tengey-Seddoh Family creates this exquisite shawl in 100% rayon. Each strip requires considerable effort, and the looms are worked with both hands and feet. Strips are generally three to four inches wide and seven to ten feet long, and the length of time it takes to complete one strip varies by the complexity of the chosen pattern. The simplest use mostly vertical, or warp patterns, and an experienced weaver can make several of those in one day. But patterns with nearly all weft (horizontal thread) patterns where the warp design is hardly visible can take up to four days to complete an individual strip. Each color has its own meanings in Asante culture. Green is fertility and new harvest, gold is royalty, black is strength, aging and spirituality, and white is purity. The patterns themselves are carefully chosen symbols, which a master weaver develops and names, often to honor people, historical events, or proverbs.