Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
“Yesterday the Democrats wore kente scarfs and knelt down for their photo op. So check this out, Kente cloth was worn by the Ashanti. It's made of silk so the affluent wore it. The Ashanti were also known as slave owners and traders. Huh?” Dave Brandon posted on Facebook June 9. “This makes me wonder why they chose to wear this particular tribe's garb.”
Quote:
The Asante supplied British and Dutch traders with slaves in exchange for firearms, which they used to expand their empire. Slaves were often acquired as tributes from smaller states or captured during war. Some slaves were brought across the Atlantic whiles others stayed in Africa to work in gold fields.
According to the BBC, by the end of the 18th century, the region exported an estimated 6,000-7,000 slaves per year.
Kente cloth is deeply intertwined with the history of the Ashanti nation. The Ashanti Empire or Confederacy, which was located in what is today Ghana, first emerged in West Africa during the seventeenth century. The Ashanti are members of the Akan people who speak the Akan or Ashanti dialect. The word “Kente” which means basket comes from the Akan or Ashanti dialect. Akans also refer to Kente as nwentoma, which means woven cloth.
Quote:
While Kente cloth was a product of a global trade route which stretched from Asia through Europe to Africa, this cloth and the people also came to be associated with another global trade route---the slave trade. In fact, the history of the Ashanti people, who lived on the West Coast of Africa, is strongly tied to the history of the slave trade.
As was true of many pre-modern societies in Africa, Asia and Europe, the Ashanti practiced slavery. When Europeans, specifically the Portuguese, came into contact with the Ashanti during the sixteenth century, both Europeans and the Ashanti traded gold, ivory, and slaves.
Ashanti slaves were transported to the New World in large numbers. There, they created new communities that often adapted and/or continued traditions from the old world. Today, for example, the Maroon people of Suriname weave a cotton cloth called Pangi that is comparable in style and design to the Kente cloth of their Ashanti ancestors. As is true with Kente cloth, Pangi has multi-colored vertical and horizontal stripes. The strong similarities between Pangi and Kente cloth undoubtedly reflect the fact that the Maroons in Suriname were escaped slaves who lived in their villages. Living apart from Europeans, the Arawaks and the other peoples of Suriname may have allowed these slaves to retain many Ashanti traditions.
Agree. The obvious pandering is so condescending. The thing is that they think blacks are so dumb that they will fall for it. That in itself is beyond insulting.
What they are apparently so gobsmacked with stupidity over political correctness and pandering to realize is they look just about as stupid as if they were dressed up as Leprechauns trying to get the Irish vote.
The uproar that didn't follow tells you all you need to know about "cultural appropriations".
Kinda like selective hearing????
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
