Cloth

Date20th century

Label Text"The loom is a holy place." (Gilbert Bobbo Ahiagble) Ewe weavers use the same loom as their famous neighbors, the Asante. Strips, usually around four inches in width, are created precisely to be sewn into the completed cloth. As compositions, the cloths have a vivid vocabulary of accents. High contrast colors are used to set up staggered pulses of pattern that has been called "offbeat phrasing." Unlike the Asante, the Ewe never united into a confederacy or kingdom, so their weavers offer cloths for a diverse client base that requires less stratification and more imagination. As a result, Ewe cloth is marked by new designs with many recognizable motifs, in fresh color schemes.

Object number81.17.321

Credit LineGift of Katherine White and the Boeing Company

Dimensions44 5/16 in. (112.5 cm) L.: 72 3/16 in.

MediumCotton cloth (commercially woven and strip weave)