Formed by stitching together narrow strips of handwoven cloth, Kente often features colourful woven patterns. The term is particularly used to refer to the silk cloth of West Africa, where it has been traditionally crafted and worn by Asante and Ewe populations since at least the 17th century, chiefly in the region of modern-day Ghana. Stripweave is an ancient textile type, created by stitching together individual, narrow strips of handwoven fabric to form a whole finished cloth. The way the patterns line up once it has been cut is testament to the skill of the weaver. Asante and Ewe men traditionally took on the role of weaving, using a small double-heddle handloom to make the cloth strips, typically warp-striped and often enhanced with weft-float patterns. These strips are arranged in an off-set manner of alternating patterns – the resulting effect is that of an elaborate design that if it were one continuous length would require a much larger and more complex loom. Historically the reserve of royalty and the elite, this highly prized textile is still today worn by many men and women, often for important occasions and celebrations.

Different kente weaves, patterns and colours often hold special symbolic meaning. Many are given a particular name, usually assigned by the weaver, based on proverbs, current events, or everyday objects. It is possible to distinguish between Asante and Ewe kente through the types of pattern and fibres used – whilst Asante favour geometric patterns in silk, Ewe are known to include figurative motifs such as animals, people and letters in their weft-float designs, utilising a blend of cotton and silk.

This particular kente is an example of Ewe weaving; the Ewe come from the South Eastern part of Ghana’s Volta region. The cloth is made up of 19 strips which are each about 10cm wide and 280cm long. The size of this cloth makes it likely that it was intended as a man’s wrapper. In typical Ewe style, figurative designs are here included in the cloth's supplementary weft-float patterns; these designs often relate to proverbs which are an important part of Ewe culture. This cloth has a pattern of leaves which relates to the proverb ‘I will not survive if I am plucked from the tree’. The leaf pattern is limited to nine central strips of the kente, rather than covering the whole cloth, suggesting it belonged to a man of modest social standing.

This cloth was bequeathed to the museum by Mary Kirby, a weaver herself, who also taught weaving. She collected textiles from around the world and used them as teaching aids.