Adanwomase
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Adanwomase | |
|---|---|
  Adanwomase | |
| Coordinates: 6°46′54″N 1°37′53″W / 6.78167°N 1.63139°W | |
| Country |  Ghana |
| Region | Ashanti Region |
| District | Kwabre East District |
| Elevation | 712 ft (217 m) |
| Time zone | GMT |
| • Summer (DST) | GMT |
Adanwomase is a town in the Ashanti Region of Ghana located in Kwabre East District. Adanwomase is about 27 kilometers northeast of Kumasi. It is noted for Kente weaving with towns like Bonwire which is about 2 kilometers away.[1] The town is also known for the Adanwomase Secondary School.[2] The town also has a mini Kente weaving museum.
In 1697, the Ashanti King, desiring hand-woven cloth, commissioned one of his sub-chiefs, the Akyimpimhene, to send people from the towns of Adanwomase, Asotwe, Bonwire, and Wonoo to study strip-weaving in Bontuku, a small village in present-day Ivory Coast. When they returned, the apprentices were given swatches of fabric with specific patterns on them that they were told to study and be able to recreate on demand. These patterns were called Sesea and are considered to be the first examples of true Ashanti Kente Cloth. The original centuries-old Sesea swatches are to this day kept in the Kente Chief's house in Adanwomase.
Since the first apprentices returned from Bontuku, Adanwomase has been the royal weaving village for the Ashanti King. The apprentices spread the art of Kente-weaving to their friends and families and in the process added their own designs and colors, creating the cloth that today is recognized worldwide as Ashanti Kente.