Akwete cloth

Nigerian woman handweaving akwete cloth

Akwete cloth is a hand woven textile produced in Igboland for which the town of Akwete, also known as Ndoki, both which the cloth was named after in Abia state, Nigeria is famous. Alternative names include "Aruru" meaning "something woven", "Mkpuru Akwete", “Akuraku”, and "Akwete fabric". This traditional Igbo weaving processes sisal, hemp, raffia, cotton or other fibres into finished products. While the coarse raffia materials are used by masquerades and in the past as headgear for warriors among other uses, the hemp material was used to weave towels, ropes and handbags. The more comfortable and colorful spun cotton is used to weave cloth for everyday wearing. Akwete cloths contain many motifs. Today, Ndoki women continue to produce Akwete cloth for a wide, global market.

History

Multiple creation stories and proposed origins exist for Akwete cloth, but all point to its deeply indigenous roots among the Igbo people, particularly the Ndoki subgroup in southeastern Nigeria. While the exact date of its emergence remains uncertain, written references to cloth weaving and dyeing by the Ndoki-Igbo date as far back as the early 17th century. Photographic evidence of Akwete cloth appears by the mid-19th century, coinciding with the period of British colonial presence in Igboland.

Trade along the Niger Delta and increased interaction with other communities in the region helped spread the influence of Akwete cloth. The primary patrons were the Ijo-speaking peoples—particularly the Ibani, Okrika, and Kalabari—who frequently commissioned specific patterns. One notable example of external influence is the Ikaki (tortoise) motif, which Ijo patrons requested Akwete weavers to replicate after encountering it in textiles from across the Niger River. This motif is regarded as the first and perhaps only significant external design incorporated into the Akwete tradition.

The cultural and technical development of Akwete weaving is deeply rooted in oral tradition and female-led knowledge transmission. Merchants from the Niger Delta often resided in Akwete for extended periods, suggesting long-term cultural and commercial exchange.

As the transatlantic slave trade declined and the palm oil economy shifted in the 19th century, Akwete cloth rose to prominence as the region’s primary trade commodity. Previously a part-time domestic craft, weaving became a full-time occupation and a cornerstone of Akwete cultural identity.

The complexity and aesthetic appeal of Akwete cloth drew the attention of European traders, which expanded the market but did not fundamentally alter the indigenous techniques. Akwete weavers retained their traditional methods while occasionally drawing inspiration from foreign patterns. Imported yarns such as machine-spun cotton and silk offered new possibilities for texture and color, but the underlying weaving logic and symbolic design remained unchanged.

In response to growing market demand, some weavers began sewing multiple strips together or adopting the European two-yard standard size. In 1946, the introduction of the broadloom—a larger and more efficient loom—allowed some weavers to produce larger cloths more quickly. However, the high cost of the broadloom meant most continued to rely on traditional vertical looms, the Nkwe loom.

Akwete weaving is traditionally practiced and preserved by women. Techniques are passed down from mothers to daughters, and knowledge of the craft is typically restricted to members of the community. Exceptions are occasionally made for women who marry into Akwete households. Girls often begin learning to weave around the ages of six or seven and may achieve mastery by puberty. Many women continue weaving into their eighties or nineties, sustaining the craft as a living tradition.

Technique

Weaving is done on a loom. originally constructed from bamboo, and later with wood and iron. While Akwete women were responsible for weaving, it was the men's duty to construct the looms. There are two types of loom, the horizontal loom used by men and the vertical loom used by women. Traditionally most of the weaving is done on Nkwe looms, the largest looms in Nigeria, by women. However, outside of the city, men began to learn the weaving techniques and produce cloth as well. Most Akwete cloth is 40-50 inches wide when completed. The thread is fastened with Egbu-Nkwe, and the Ukwu-Nkpuro utilizes stretching to lessen the chance of bending while weaving. An additional device called an Ekiki is used to adjust the width of the fabric, making separate threats with a Paapaa. Once the thread has been woven, an Ahia Heddle is used to create designs on the fabric. A continuous warp thread gives a solid color background for the motifs. A two-color warp background is also used which produces a blended color effect. An iridescent color effect can also be produced when the warp is one color and the base weft (as opposed to decorative motive weft) another. Fabrics are woven to be single faced or double faced, that is the motifs show on both sides. Too much pressure while weaving can cause a design to appear lopsided when completed. Weaving techniques and symbolism additionally includes mixing colors for a wide variety of effects. The swivel inlay technique is also commonly used.

Originally, weaving materials were cultivated locally within Akwete itself. Base fabric is mostly low-twist yarn cotton, with the decorative motifs consisting of coarser or heavier spun cotton, low twist silk, or shiny rayon. Cotton and rayon combinations give a multicolored, brocaded look. The most traditionally used materials for weaving were raffia, sisal-hemp, and spun cotton. It is standard practice today for Akwete women to use only imported threads. It can take an individual weaver up to three days to finish weaving a cloth depending on size and complexity of technique and pattern.

In addition to production, the distribution of Akwete cloth was also handled by the women of Akwete. The women of Akwete set up a weaving society that later transitioned into a collective of female weavers focused on fabric quality as well as issues of copyright. In this group, women have the freedom to create whatever they want and maintain ownership of concepts.

Use

Akwete fabric is used by both people in Nigeria and exported to other countries. The Akwamiri style of Akwete cloth was used by other people groups as waist ties for men, but also as towels, coverings for chairs, and as material for bags.

Among the Akwete people, the cloth is used to signify wealth or power, and it is primarily worn by women as wraps or loincloths, though men do wear them occasionally, both for everyday use and for ceremonial purposes. For example, Akwete cloth can be used as a wedding dowry, as well as decorations for royal burial sites. Everyday uses range from dresses, covers, wraps, wall decorations, and bedspreads.

Traditionally, raffia woven cloths would be used specifically for masquerade purposes, warrior garb, and ceremonial dress. Cotton spun cloths were used for casual wear as everyday clothing. However, in modern times both designs may be used in casual wear.

Motifs

Akwete Cloth displayed in the Brooklyn Museum, made out of commercial cotton, 63 x 82in

The weavers in Akwete claim to know over a hundred different motifs but not more than three or four are usually used simultaneously on one piece of cloth. Traditionally the creator of a new motif is granted an unwritten copyright. This is explained by the inspirational aspect of the development of motifs in the society, certain motifs being regarded as gifts of creative inspiration from a divinity. Essentially, the gods grant the weaver a pre-established copyright to the pattern produced. Motifs and themes are additionally commonly derived from dreams.

In terms of trade with other cultures, a commonly traded cloth was "Awka Miri" (Cloth of the water) translating to "towel". It was woven as either a white cloth or a white cloth with indigo stripes. "Tortoise" or "Ikaki" is the most commonly produced motif and pattern.The main motif, ikaki, imagined as a tortoise here, is based on Ijebu Yoruba prestige cloth, Aso-olona. Traditionally, it was created solely for royalty; anyone who wore Ikaki that was not royal would be sold into slavery. This motif used the image of the tortoise, viewed as a wise and cunning creature symbolic of chieftaincy. It was also used for coronation and royal burials. It additionally represented peace. Ikaki itself has subcategories of motifs, Ikaki's tortoises motif is the first and original pattern. The second is called Blandgidi or Plandigi "blanket" contains a background with a solid color decorated with repeated flowers, flags, birds, or animals.

Social status plays a role in the wearing of Akwete cloth, certain motifs being reserved for royalty, such as Ikaki, or used as a talisman to protect warriors going into battle or women in pregnancy, such as the "Ebe" motif. Some patterns are reserved for special families or occasions because of circumstances pertaining to motif origin. Another example of this tradition is Nnadede cloth. The oral legend describes the triumphant return of a famous warrior in the 1860s, whose father presented him with the cloth upon returning to Akwete. The pattern was only used only for status and royal ceremonies, but gradually became a commonly used design in Akwete weaving. Upon the arrival of Christianity to Akwete, weavers crafted the "Ikperendioma" pattern, meaning "the good people's knees". This motif displayed kneeling Christians worshiping in a churchlike setting. Other motifs include traditional beliefs, legends, common tools, household items, and plants.

In recent times, Akwete weaving patterns have begun to display themes relevant to Nigeria as a whole, utilizing the design and colors of the Nigerian flag, the coat of arms and celebrating the Black Festival of the Arts in Nigeria.

In modern culture

In modern times Akwete weaving has become an activity and art that men and women, Akwete and foreigners alike participate in. Other local groups that have become practitioners of Akwete weaving are the River, Enugu, Ebony, and Benue states. In contrast to traditional Akwete standards, more men from the Benue state weave Akwete cloths than women. Additionally, the widespread use of mangrove and raffia materials makes it easier to share weaving techniques and has helped the art form flourish in Abia State. Akwete is one of the few communities in which weaving is prospering, as the number of female weavers in other areas of Nigeria has declined in recent years.

Several communities local to Nigeria have intentionally begun practicing and promoting Akwete weaving to keep the art and techniques relevant in the modern industry. The Ekwueme Federal University Ndufu located in southeastern Nigeria established a center focused on Akwete weaving and encouraging the cultural pride of the Akwete people, as well as teaching an Akwete weaving course, which covers a year's worth of training. The university encourages students to wear Akwete cloth on "Traditional Dress Mondays" and gives the cloths produced to important visitors as gifts. The university's approach favors a more formal education, allowing students to pursue the trade while also being in school, and independent of the tradition of passing techniques down through generations. This allows the craft to be explored by more people. Apprenticeships for weaving are also becoming a model of education that is rising in popularity.

Notes

• Akwete Cloth and Its Motifs, Marian Davis, African Arts Vol. 7, No. 3 (Spring, 1974), pp. 22–25 Published by: UCLA James S. Coleman African Studies Center
• Akwete cloth: An Igbo textile art Vanguard Newspaper published July 26, 2012 by McPhilips Nwachukwu and Appollos Oziogu Ibebabuchi

External links

• The British Museum picture and description, Register 1956, Cat. no. 80: Cotton cloth (Akwete) Exhibited: 1995, London, Barbican Art Gallery, The Art of African Textiles
• The British Museum picture and description, museum number Af1934,0307.115 acquisition date 1934, donated by: Charles A Beving.
• Powerhousemuseum Website picture of Akwete cloth retrieved 03.04.2013

Further reading

• Patronage and Akwete Weaving, Lisa Aronson, African Arts, Vol. 13, No. 3 (May, 1980), pp. 62–66+91 DOI: 10.2307/3335705
• Nigerian Textiles: Evolution of Surface Design, Sigrid Docken Mount, African Arts, Vol. 13, No. 2 (Feb., 1980), pp. 76–77 DOI: 10.2307/3335524
• Nigerian Textiles, Grace O. Martin, African Arts, Vol. 7, No. 3 (Spring, 1974), pp. 76–78 DOI: 10.2307/3334869
• West African Decorative Weaving, Kate P. Kent, African Arts, Vol. 6, No. 1 (Autumn, 1972), pp. 22–27+67-70+88 DOI: 10.2307/3334637