Description

Akwete cloth was historically handwoven by women in Igboland in south-eastern Nigeria. Different from the narrow strips of cloth used to make aṣọ-òkè , Akwete cloth is typically woven in a single width on a vertical loom using broadloom techniques with a warp width of about 3 - 5 feet on average. Akwete was previously termed Akwa-Miri(cloth of the water) because it was originally made for use as a towel but women began to wear them as waist wrappers in pairs long before they rose to prominence as the fashion and trade commodity of Akwete town. It changed over time in texture and richness with intricate symbolic patterns including tortoises, lizards, geometric and floral motifs making it highly prized for both everyday wear and special occasions.

This cloth features bands of geometric brocaded motifs, both anthropomorphic and zoomorphic, in pale green, pink, yellow, and navy blue. This panel was collected by Dr. Elliot while he was working in Old Calabar, Bonny region, Nigeria in 1901.