Akwete cloth
[4][3] This traditional Igbo weaving processes sisal, hemp, raffia, cotton or other fibres into finished products.
Additionally, Europeans offered Akwete women training on modern weaving techniques and access to foreign waving materials.
[6] By the 1800’s most Akwete weavers used only imported cotton and found ways to create patterns more quickly, such as sewing two or three stripes together.
Many weavers also embraced the textures of imported silk within their work and began to replicate foreign patterns or create new designs inspired by them.
The use of machine-made yarn additionally allowed Akwete weavers to improve the quality of their work and present the cloths to a vastly larger market.
It was commonplace for young girls to begin learning how to weave as early as six or seven years old, and attain mastery of the craft by puberty.
An additional device called an Ekiki is used to adjust the width of the fabric, making separate threats with a Paapaa.
Weaving techniques and symbolism additionally includes mixing colors for a wide variety of effects.
[9] It can take an individual weaver up to three days to finish weaving a cloth depending on size and complexity of technique and pattern.
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.
[6] 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.
[2] 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.
[2] Traditionally, raffia woven cloths would be used specifically for masquerade purposes, warrior garb, and ceremonial dress.
The second is called Blandgidi or Plandigi "blanket" contains a background with a solid color decorated with repeated flowers, flags, birds, or animals.
Upon the arrival of Christianity to Akwete, weavers crafted the "Ikperendioma" pattern, meaning "the good people's knees".
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.
[6] 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.
[9] 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 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.
