THE HISTORY BEHIND THE ADINKRA CLOTH

Adinkra Cloth is one of the prestigious royal craft produced in the village called Asokwo around Kumasi in Ghana. According to the Ashanti legend it was introduced in 1818 following the capture of  a rival monarch by the name Adinkra,who wore the cloth to express his sorrow. Kumasi Adinkra involve the printing of designs in a black dye made from the bark of certain tress which uses stamps carved from section of a calabash. Many Adinkra stamp designs are named by reference to proverbs, while others have naturalistic references.

This is an example of an Adinkra cloth called Akyekyedeaste. This cloth is worn for any social gathering.