History Of Kente Ghanaian Textile

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.

Importance of Eyo Festival

The Eyo Festival, otherwise known as the Adamu Orisa Play is the TRADITIONAL PLAY OF LAGOS.

Osun Osogbo

Osun-Osogbo Sacred Grove is a sacred forest along the banks of the Osun river just outside the city of Osogbo, Osun State, Nigeria.

10 Beautiful Traditional (Yoruba) Hair Styles

Among the Yorubas of southwestern Nigeria, the head (called ori) is given a very prominent position and particularly in the females, the hair is considered to be the crown of a woman’s beauty. Over the years, the culture-rich Yorubas have come up with various beautiful and dazzling hairstyles.

I will post the rest later in the day if I am chanced but if you want to see all the 55 different Yoruba hairstyles, you can view them here, complete with pictures:

Palm Wine

Palm Wine is obtained from Palm Tree by the process of 'Palm Wine Tapping'. People who tap Palm Wine are specialised individuals called 'Palm Wine Tappers'. A typical 'Palm Wine Tapper' should have a Climbing Rope, a short Cutlass for cutting Palm Fronds, a Tapping Knife, and a small Gallon.

Palm Wine tapping involves cutting off the Palm Fronds to expose the soft tissues at the top of the Palm Tree. The 'Tapping Knife' is used to pierce a hole into the tissue to allow for the exit of the Palm Wine. Specially carved tiny Bamboo, hollow metallic Pipes, or other instruments;

Calabash

The word calabash is derived the French word ‘Calebasse’. Calabash and gourd are often used interchangeably. The calabash is simply the dried hollow shell of a gourd used for household utensils and its among the very first crops that man cultivated.

We know that the gourd was domesticated in Africa over 4,000 years ago.  Nigeria, in particular the area of old Yoruba Empire, is a center for traditional gourd use and art. Calabash  fruit is a creeping/climbing plant which grows easily in almost every part of Nigeria. The  fruits  are regular in shape. It is in many sizes which determines its uses. Calabashes are mostly round.

Adire Textile

Adire (Yoruba — tie and dye) textile is the indigo dyed cloth made in south western Nigeria by Yoruba women, using a variety of resist dye techniques.