Teachers’ Pack
An exhibition at Hackney Museum
exploring 400 years of textile
journeys from Africa to Hackney.
1st October 2015 – 23rd January 2016
Contents
The exhibition and schools programme ..................................................................................................... 1
National Curriculum............................................................................................................................................ 1
The exhibition
Background and context................................................................................................................................... 4
Hackney links.................................................................................................................................................. 5-14
Trading routes.....................................................................................................................................................15
How fabrics are made in different parts of Africa .................................................................................17
Symbols and colours ................................................................................................................................. 19-21
Hackney people and fabric today ...............................................................................................................22
Classroom activities ............................................................................................................................................24
Big projects .............................................................................................................................................................31
Resources .................................................................................................................................................................41
Additional information
Your visit to Hackney Museum.....................................................................................................................70
Acknowledgements ..........................................................................................................................................73
Feedback form ....................................................................................................................................................75
The Exhibition
African Threads - Hackney Style is a temporary exhibition at Hackney Museum exploring Hackney’s
historic and present day ties with Africa through fabric and fashion. The exhibition explores how
textiles were produced in different regions of Africa and the meaning behind some of their bold
designs. We uncover the influence of African textiles, fashion and fabrics on the local area, from 17th
century trade with West Africa by Hackney merchants to the presence of African communities and
textiles in Hackney today. The exhibition features maps, fabric, outfits, photographs and local people
and invites visitors to share their Hackney style.
The Schools Programme
Over 2,500 Hackney primary school children are booked to visit the exhibition and take part in
workshops with museum staff and local fashion designer Honey Malaolu. If you weren’t lucky
enough to get sessions for your school this time round then we’re very sorry! We have designed this
pack to support you to deliver classroom based activities that do not rely on a visit to the museum.
If you’d like to sign up to our mailing list, so you’re among the first to find out about our Black
History Month sessions next year, please email [email protected]
The Teachers’ Pack
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This pack has been designed to inspire and support teachers to:
Prepare classes for their visit to African Threads - Hackney Style exhibition and workshop
Plan and deliver lessons, units of work or assemblies on the themes of the exhibition
Organise whole school events and activities to celebrate Black History Season
Deliver all-staff CPD on African textiles and the link to Hackney today
Links to the National Curriculum
KS1
Maths
Identify and describe the properties of 2D shapes, including the number of sides and line symmetry
in a vertical line.
Order and arrange combinations of mathematical objects in patterns and sequences.
Science
Distinguish between an object and the material from which it is made… describe the simple physical
properties of a variety of everyday materials.
Art and design
Use a range of materials creatively to design and make products.
Use drawing, painting and sculpture to develop and share their ideas, experiences and imagination.
Develop a wide range of art and design techniques in using colour, pattern, texture, line, shape, form
and space.
Learn about the work of a range of artists, craft makers and designers, describing the differences
and similarities between different practices and disciplines, and making links to their own work.
Design and technology
Design purposeful, functional, appealing products for themselves and other users based on
design criteria.
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Generate, develop, model and communicate their ideas through talking, drawing,
templates, mock-ups and, where appropriate, information and communication technology.
Geography
- Use simple compass directions (N S E & W) to describe the location of features and routes
on a map.
History
- Understand how Britain has influenced and has been influenced by the wider world; local
history study.
KS2
Maths
- Draw 2D shapes and make 3D shapes using modelling materials.
- Identify horizontal and vertical lines and pairs of perpendicular and parallel lines.
- Compare and classify geometric shapes, including quadrilaterals and triangles… acute and
obtuse angles… identify lines of symmetry in 2D shapes… complete a simple symmetric
figure.
Art and design
- Improve their mastery of art and design techniques, including drawing, painting and
sculpture with a range of materials.
Design and technology
- Through a variety of creative and practical activities, pupils should be taught the
knowledge, understanding and skills needed to engage in an iterative process of designing
and making. They should work in a range of relevant contexts [for example the home,
school, leisure, culture…]”
- Use research and develop design criteria to inform the design of innovative, functional,
appealing products that are fit for purpose, aimed at particular individuals or groups.
Geography
- Locate the world’s countries, concentrating on their environmental regions, key physical and
human characteristics, countries and major cities.
History
- Understand how Britain has influenced and has been influenced by the wider world; local
history study.
Intended Learning Outcomes
For pupils to:
 Understand the influence of African textiles on the local area, throughout history and today
 Understand how textiles were produced in different regions of Africa and the meaning
behind some of their bold designs
 Respond creatively to the designs, patterns, colours, fabrics and symbols they encounter
 Explore the connections between where we have roots, where we were born and where we
live now
 Take pride in the common heritage we share in Africa as the birth of mankind
Preparing your class for their visit
There are many different ways to introduce the themes of the exhibition to your pupils. We have
included draft lessons and activities in the pack, for you to use before and after your visit. Whether
you decide to use these plans or not, we recommend that children are introduced to some of the
topics before their session at Hackney Museum.
1.
The Exhibition
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400 years of textile journeys from Africa to Hackney:
background & context
Hackney merchants in the
1600s and 1700s helped
shaped the world we live in
today. Through multinational
trading companies such as the
East India Company (1600 –
1834) and the Royal African
Company (1660 – 1752) they
played a key role in developing
trading relationships across the
world, and with Africa and Asia
in particular.
By Herman Moll 1729. Image in the public domain.
Textiles with bold African designs sold in Ridley Road Market in Hackney are a
common sight. Though this is the norm today, it is part of a much wider
international story with its roots over 400 years ago.
The story of African textiles is wrapped up with the journeys of many of the
commodities we enjoy today, such as tea, spices and sugar. Some of this trade was
also reliant on the enslavement of African people and their transportation across the
globe to the Americas and Caribbean.
Today, around 11% of
Hackney’s residents are African
and a further 12% describe
themselves as of African or
Caribbean heritage. Those
from West Africa are
particularly well represented
and the Nigerian community is
one of the largest communities
in the borough.
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Hackney Merchants
This view from Church
Street (today’s Mare
Street) looks up the
Narrow Way with St.
Augustine’s Tower in
the distance. The bridge
over the Hackney Brook
is to the left. Hackney,
1730s. © Hackney
Archives
In the 1600s Hackney, Shoreditch and Stoke Newington were a cluster of small
villages. By the 1700s, they were home to wealthy merchants who lived in
elegant houses.
In the late 1600s, Hackney and Stoke Newington in particular were fashionable semirural areas on the outskirts of London surrounded by farms and market gardens,
arable crops and livestock farming. Large country houses and suburban villas
accommodated the wealthy, while small workers’ cottages existed in the villages to
house their tenants.
Many employees of the East India Company, the Royal African Company and the
Bank of England (founded in 1694) used their wealth to buy large estates in what is
now the London Borough of Hackney. They lived in Hackney because there were
large houses, good schools and the City of London was only a short ride away, yet it
was still in the countryside.
These merchants also moved in tight circles. They knew each other, traded together,
prayed together and sometimes married into one another’s families.
As fortunes improved, some became wealthier and moved out of Hackney while
others stayed and were buried in local churches. Most of their estates no longer exist,
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having made way for suburban developments in the latter part of the nineteenth
century.
The following pages detail the lives of some of these merchants, their links with trade
and their impact on Hackney.
Sir John Cass (1661-1718)
Cass rose to an influential position in the commercial world
of the City, which enabled him to enlarge his estate and
leave an enduring educational legacy.
Cass was a powerful merchant who represented the City as its Member
of Parliament. His family had moved to Grove Street in South Hackney in
1665. Cass was involved in trade with West Africa through his
membership of the Royal African Company’s Court of Assistants and he
was a director and a member of the committee of correspondence which
meant that he had direct dealings with both the Company’s
representative in the slave forts in West Africa as well as with its agents
in the Caribbean. Cass retained shares in the Company up until his death.
He left a philanthropic legacy and set up a school in Aldgate in 1709. In
1748 the Sir John Cass Foundation was established. The Foundation
continues to provide support education support. The Sir John Cass
Faculty of Art, Architecture and Design within London Metropolitan
University, the Sir John Cass School of Education at the University of East
London and the Cass Business School at City University are all named
after him.
Royal African Company
Assistant: 1705-1708
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Sir Thomas Cooke (1648-1709)
Cooke’s name became a byword for corruption and bribery.
He was known as the ‘dictator’ of the East India Company because of his
autocratic and domineering style of administration as its governor. He
supplied it with bullion and also traded in saltpetre, fabrics, chinaware
and turmeric, and rapidly amassed a fortune.
Through his career, Cooke held many roles in the Royal African Company
too. He sat on a number of committees, including those responsible for
buying goods in West Africa and influencing what to trade with.
Cooke used his fortunes to buy property in Hackney and from 1680 was
the Lord of the Manor. To further his interests in both Companies, Cooke
married his daughter to powerful merchant and shareholder Sir Josiah
Child’s son in 1691. Both children are buried in Hackney.
In 1694 a national bribery scandal broke out. Cooke was accused of
taking £80,000 out of the East India Company and using it to bribe MPs
and other notable figures to secure the future of the Company. After the
scandal, he experienced a slight downturn in fortunes and sold his estate
in Hackney to fellow merchant Francis Tyssen.
East India Company
Assistant: 1683–90, 1695–6, 1698–1700, 1702–4, 1706–8
Deputy Governor: 1690–2, 1694–5
Governor: 1692–4, 1700–2, 1704–6, 1708–9
Royal African Company
Assistant Governor: 1690–2, 1701–2, 1705–9
Sub-Governor: 1703–4
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Francis Tyssen (1625-99)
Tyssen owned plantations in Antigua in the Caribbean.
From leasing these he accumulated enough wealth to
purchase the Shacklewell estate in Hackney in 1685.
Francis Tyssen came to England from Flushing in Holland in the 1640s
and settled later settled in Hackney. He was a merchant with a variety of
business interests stretching across the globe.
The Tyssen family had held shares in the Royal African Company since
1678 and frequently bought and sold shares in the company. The roles
of Sub-Governor, Assistant Governor and Assistant, all of which he held,
were annually elected by shareholders on the basis of one vote for £100
of stock held. Accumulation of a large block of share in this company
was uncommon, unlike in the East India Company.
He was an active member in the East India and Royal African Companies.
He sat on committees in the Royal African Company which decided
which goods to buy from West Africa and trade with.
In 1694 he was implicated in a national scandal along with Sir Thomas
Cooke and Sir Josiah Child attempting to bribe MPs and notable figures.
In his will Francis Tyssen left two five pound pieces of Guinea gold from
Wes Africa to his wife Dorothy. His Hackney, Antigua and Dutch estates
were inherited by his son Francis Tyssen (1653-1710) who expanded the
Hackney estate.
East India Company
Deputy Governor: 1693-1695
Royal African Company
Assistant: 1693-94
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Sir Robert Rich (c.1588-1658)
Rich was one of the earliest Hackney merchants investing in
trade relations with West Africa.
Rich was the 2nd Earl of Warwick and his inheritance made him one of the
most powerful landowners in the country, with extensive estates in Essex
and property in London. His interlocking trading interests included the
East India Company, Company of Royal Adventurers in Africa, the
Bahamas Company and the Virginia Company trading with North
America to name a few.
His children with his first wife were born in Hackney between 1611 and
1614. After her death, he married widow Susan Rowe in 1625. She was
the daughter of a wealthy Hackney family who lived in Shackellwell
House. She died in 1646. The Rowe family are buried in the family
mausoleum. It can still be seen today in St. Augustine’s churchyard in
Hackney.
Company of Royal Adventurers in Africa
Assistant: 1618
East India Company
Governor: 1621-24
Assistant: 1628
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John Taylor (1655-1729)
Taylor was a founding investor in the Bank of England.
The Bank of England is the second oldest central bank in the world. It
was established in 1694 after England suffered defeat against the French
and wanted to raise public funds to build a powerful the navy. This
became a catalyst for the country’s subsequent global power in Africa
and Asia.
People could subscribe to shares in the Bank and receive a return on
their investment. The Bank was privately owned by stockholders until
nationalised in 1946.
Several of Taylor’s children were born in Hackney, including Septimus
(1691) and Bridges (1695). In 1694 John Taylor subscribed £2,000 to the
Bank of England. He then bought an estate in Kent and moved with his
family.
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Daniel Defoe (c.1660-1731)
Defoe, writer and journalist, was a passionate supporter of
the Royal African Company and trade with West Africa. He
had once held around £800 of shares in the Royal African
Company.
He wrote extensively about the security a regulated company, such as
the Royal African Company, could offer trade but was against the East
India Company.
In his defence of the Royal African Company he wrote that trade with
Africa
“was a necessary Trade, because upon it our Colonies and Plantations in
America depend for the Supply of their Negro Slave, without which it
was impossible that the Business of those Islands could be carried on, or
our West India Trade be preserved”.
Defoe’s well-known book published in 1719, Robinson Crusoe, illustrates
some of his influences and knowledge of trade relationships with West
Africa. This includes Crusoe in West Africa, buying a plantation in Brazil
and joining an expedition to bring enslaved people from Africa to Brazil.
Defoe lived in Stoke Newington Church Street and wrote many of his
works there.
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Edward Lascelles (d.1727)
Lascelles accumulated incredible wealth through slave
trading and sugar production. With his fortunes he built a
new house in Stoke Newington.
Lascelles was an independent trader who lived and owned plantations in
Barbados. Trading with West Africa ensured a steady supply of enslaved
labour for his sugar plantations. He invested in shipping voyages with
other investors and textiles formed a large part of cargoes taken to West
Africa.
In 1702, Lascelles moved to London and established a commission
house, where profits were made on transactions. By 1719 the
commission house was receiving 2,402 cwt (122,027 kg) of sugar a year
from plantations in Barbados and Antigua which was sold on to
customers.
As well as Edward, many other members of the Lascelles family were
involved in trade between England, West Africa and the Caribbean,
including his brothers and son.
Edward Lascelles purchased an estate in Stoke Newington Church Street
and commissioned a new house to be built. Today it is Yum Yum Thai
restaurant.
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Sir Thomas Abney (1640-1722)
Abney was a founding member and Director of the Bank of
England. His name lives on in Abney Park, Stoke
Newington.
Abney was a linen draper by trade and invested in at least one voyage to
West Africa, importing textiles. Along with a business partner, he was
involved in the re-export of Indian cloth. He purchased shares worth
£4000 in the new Bank of England in 1694 and was chosen as one of the
bank's directors. He was annually re-elected until his death.
Abney was also among the most visible of London's nonconformist
leaders who chose to practise their religion outside of the established
church. In 1700 Abney married his second wife, Mary Gunston, and they
inherited the Gunston’s Stoke Newington mansion. This became Abney
House, where Abney and his wife lived.
The site of Abney Park was formed from the estates of Abney House and
Fleetwood House. This association quickly made the site the burial
ground of choice for Dissenters or nonconformists. Well-known
abolitionists are also buried there.
Bank of England
Director: 1694-1722
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The African presence in Hackney
There has been an African presence in Hackney since the 1630s.
The earliest known occurrence of an African person living in Hackney is Anthony,
whose burial in May 1630 at St. Augustine’s Church is written in parish records. We
have no other record of Anthony, who may have been a servant to a prosperous
Hackney resident or a visiting nobleman.
Recent excavations by Liverpool Street station have uncovered Bedlam, London’s first
municipal burial ground (1569 – 1738). It was used by people from around London
and shows evidence of a multicultural city. Records have identified Africans amongst
the buried. There is also growing evidence of the community’s presence in the city
across a variety of roles and levels of society.
Hackney had connections with a range of 18th and 19th century African writers,
campaigners and activists. Joanna Vassa (1795-1857), daughter of renowned writer
Olaudah Equiano (c.1745-1797), lived in De Beauvoir Town later in life. She is buried
in Abney Park Cemetery, Stoke Newington. Dominica born Samuel Jules Celestine
Edwards (1858—1894) was a forerunner of Pan-Africanism and regularly spoke at
meetings in Victoria Park.
Many Africans moved to London from the 1950s to pursue economic and
educational opportunities and have settled in Hackney.
These communities have shaped and influenced the Hackney we see today with
distinct cultures, customs and cloths.
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Trading routes
International trading 400 years ago was a complicated business.
This simplified map shows the trade routes between Britain, Asia and Africa. These routes
greatly influenced the production, style, design and demand of textiles across Africa.
From the mid-1400s the Portuguese started exploring the West African coast.
To keep up with them, during the 1600s, trading companies developed in many
other European countries such as England, Denmark, France, Scotland and the
Netherlands. They had certain rights, privileges and obligations. Companies were
usually granted exclusive rights by the monarch or ruler to trade in a specific
geographic area or for a specific item or commodity.
Over the centuries, textiles made up around 50% of all goods which Europeans
shipped to Africa in exchange for raw materials or enslaved people. Africa also
provided England with a new market for goods they bought from Asia.
The East India Company
England in 1600 was a relatively poor country but looking to expand into the
profitable spice trade in Asia. However its seafarers were well equipped and
adventurous. In 1600, the ‘Company of Merchants of London trading into the East
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Indies’ was granted a royal charter from Queen Elizabeth I and was given a monopoly
on trade with Asia, India in particular.
The Company soon realised that there was higher demand for Indian textiles that
were much sought after across the world. They had fabulous designs which were
dye-fast so they could be washed without losing their vibrant colours. Enormous
quantities of cloth were shipped to England by the East India Company.
The Royal African Company
Encouraged by the success of the East India Company, the Royal African Company
was granted a charter in 1660 to further England’s trading interests in West Africa.
Many merchants made wealthy by the East India Company invested their money into
this new company.
West Africa was of strategic importance economically and politically. Many other
European nations were also establishing footholds in the continent and England did
not want to be left behind.
Textiles made up nearly 50% of all goods traded with West Africa over the
centuries.
The Royal African Company and later, independent traders, exported goods from
Europe to trade with kingdoms and merchants along the West African coast. The
Indian textiles were imported into Britain by the East Indian Company, sold at auction
and re-exported to Africa.
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African Threads
The types of textiles used to create the garments and their colours and designs were
dependant on region, geography, climate and natural resources. Textiles were handproduced locally, with women dominating domestic production, and men
commercial trade. Families made their own fabric and sold any surplus at nearby
markets.
Natural Fibres
Traditional handmade techniques used to make textiles vary across Africa. Natural
fibres are vital to their production and these vary across the continent.
North Africa
A large part of the indigenous Berbers’ economy was based on sheep breeding so
their textiles were made from wool. This region has had numerous cultural and
trading links because of its position close to Arabia and Europe, which are reflected
in the textiles.
East Africa
Ethiopia in the north has the strongest
textile making culture, where there are
good cotton-growing conditions.
Uganda is distinct with its tradition of
bark cloth. Much of the east coast did
not develop its own textile
manufacturing industry as it was more
effective to trade with Arabia and
India to meet demand.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9LP5Yf6M26I.
Central Africa
Fibres from the raffia palm tree are used to create both textiles and garments.
These trees are native to tropical regions of Africa. The Kuba people based in
southern Congo have one of the most varied textile traditions in the whole of Africa.
Southern Africa
Most clothing needs in this region were satisfied through imported fabrics or skins
and hides. Madagascar has a strong weaving tradition, using cotton, raffia and silk.
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West Africa
Raffia was used to make textiles before cotton. Raffia is made by stripping leaves
from the raffia palm tree and drying them. The dried leaves are woven together to
make a textile.
Dye-stuffs
Dyeing, prints and embroidery are used to create vibrant design on textiles
North Africa
Trade with Arabia and West
Africa, as well as
colonisation and invasion,
influenced style and
designs. Dyes came up from
West Africa, but there was
minimal connection with
sub-Saharan Africa.
Different communities used
their own preferred
materials. Traditional
vegetable dyes such as
Moroccan henna leaves colour
wool a reddish-brown colour.
To watch A Dyeing Art, which features in the exhibition, go to:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pG1zd3b7q34
East, Central and West Africa
Natural dyes such as blue indigo (west), red camwood (central) and kola nuts (west
and central) were sourced locally and used to dye textiles. A variety of techniques
were used, such as tie-dye, batik and stich and resist. Wooden printing blocks with
design carved into them were used to create bold designs on the textiles.
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© Steve Evans
Symbols and colours
All fabrics give a sense of the wearer’s identity. African textiles do this through
a complex combination of colours, symbols and designs.
Textile designs were initially used to identify belonging to a particular group or tribe
and make it easy to spot outsiders. Many types of patterns were created in different
parts of Africa based on the natural materials and techniques available. These were
later influenced through trade with Europe and Asia.
The Kente cloth (pictured) of the Asante people is
perhaps the best-known African textile in the world. The
Asante live in modern-day Ghana and have produced
Kente cloth for at least four hundred years. Initially it was
only worn by the Asante king and he controlled how
much cloth was made and which patterns were used. Silk
thread, which was taken from imported European
textiles, was woven into the mostly cotton Kente to make
the cloth even more prestigious.
Kente is still popular today and is the national dress of
Ghana. Men, women, and children wear Kente in a variety of patterns, colours and
forms. Each pattern has a specific meaning. Some refer to Asante proverbs, while
others are connected to individual kings. It is widely available in Hackney for the
borough’s Ghanaian community.
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Adinkra symbols from Ghana
SANKOFA
Go back to fetch it
Wisdom of learning from
the past
ODO NYERA FIE KWAN
Never loses its way home
The power of love
NYANSAPO
The Wisdom Knot
Wisdom, ingenuity, intelligence and patience
EBAN
The Fence
Love, safety and security
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BESE SAKA
Sack of Kola Nuts
Affluence, abundance and togetherness
ASASE YE DURU
The Earth has Weight
The divinity of Mother Earth
AKOMA
The Heart
Love, goodwill, patience and faithfulness
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Hackney people & fabric today
Nana Ama Ewusi-Emmim
There is also a service where the adults wear red and black whilst the children still wear black
and white. I wore this skirt and top to a
funeral in Ghana when I was 7 or 8 years
old. We were visiting family and then had
to go shopping to buy some fabric and my
mum had this outfit made for me.
I have found out that the symbol on it is
called dwennimmen or rams’ horns. They
symbolise humility and strength. The ram is
noted for its incredible strength when it
engages itself in a fight against its
opponent. However it still submits itself
humbly for slaughter. I think this symbol is
worn at funerals as a mark of respect.”
Aichurek Esenalieva and Penny MacInnes
“We loved the fabrics but felt that the African styles were not suited to us.”
Penny went to Ghana in 2005
with Ghanaian friends and
Aichurek did the same in 2010.
“We took books to schools
there and visited the markets,
bringing back several suitcases
full of vibrant fabrics
We started experimenting with
the fabrics we brought back.
We wanted to make clothing
with African influence but had
a more European style. This is how Leaping Lizards started and now we make clothes for
children and adults and have a stall in Broadway Market.
We also teach textiles in a secondary school, so we take text books from the school we work
in and give them to schools in Ghana. We believe there is too much waste in the world and
are trying to do our small part to address this problem.
We continue to go once or twice a year always taking as many books as we can carry and
bringing back as much fabric as the luggage allowance will accept.”
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Courtesy of Nana Ama Ewusi-Emmim
“It is a Ghanaian tradition that people predominantly wear black and white at funerals.
Seynabou Mbaye
Courtesy of Seynabou Mbaye
“I was visiting my family in Senegal around three years
ago and I saw somebody using bits of fabric to create
jewellery and it was beautiful!
I decided to learn how to do it and when I came back home to
Hackney, I started to make my own. I use strips of African print
fabric to cover earrings, bangles, shoes and other accessories. I
usually buy the fabric when I visit Senegal but it covers many
different African styles and regions. Some of it is locally
produced and some of it is imported from China or elsewhere.
I started wearing my new jewellery and soon friends and family
wanted their own sets! So now I make them to sell.”
Jack Hicks
“I grew up in South Africa so was
surrounded by bright bold prints.
When I moved to London, I missed the
vibrant colours and decided to set-up my
own business called Zulu London. The
company sells African print boxer shorts
and swimwear. We draw inspiration from
across Africa, using Dutch Wax textiles
and creating our own African-print
inspired textiles from our London print
house. These are then printed to our
specification and the shorts are manufactured in China. We have a stall on Broadway Market
and sell through stockists on Kingsland Road. 10% of our profits go to South African AIDS
charities.”
Winstan Whitter
“My parents went back and forth to Ghana all the
time.
They would have clothes made there by local tailors in
Western designs to wear when they came back to
Hackney to keep up with fashion trends. In the 1970s
my mum has some platform shoes made in Ghana
from python skin and brought the skin back with her.
Many years later, I found both the shoes and the skin.
I had a bag made by a friend in Hackney using the
rest of Ghanaian python skin. It means I always have a
part of Ghana with me wherever I go.”
Courtesy of Winstan Whitter
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2.
Classroom activities and topics
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Our Hackney
9/10 people think that
Hackney is a place where
people from different
backgrounds get on well *
Aims To explore and celebrate the diversity of the people of Hackney. For the children to
explore their family’s journey to Hackney and to share these stories with each other.
Curriculum links Spoken language years 1 to 6 – Ask relevant questions to extend
understanding and knowledge; maintain attention and participating actively in collaborative
conversations; give well-structured descriptions, explanations and narratives for different
purposes, including for expressing feelings; History KS1&2 – Pupils should learn about the
diversity of societies and the relationships between different groups, as well as their own
identity and challenges of their time.
Prior to the session ask each child to fill in a copy of the luggage label worksheet (Chapter
4) by interviewing members of their family. Additional resources Copies of coloured
migration cards (Chapter 4) for use in class and a variety of maps as appropriate: world, UK,
London.
Introduction: why do you think you’ve filled in this worksheet? Because it’s important to
know where we’ve come from. Ask the class if anyone would like to share something about
their family’s story that they learnt while doing the homework.
Whole class activity Use the information collected to create a class time-line based on when
children’s families moved to Hackney. This activity can be used to prompt discussion about
who has moved the furthest or stayed in the same place the longest.
Individual activity Ask each child to pick the appropriate, colour-coded template from the
migration cards and convert their notes into a short piece of descriptive writing about their
family’s journey to Hackney. Alternatively, they could draw a picture representing this.
Whole class activity Each child sticks their completed template to a map and explains to the
teacher, a small group or the whole class why they’ve put it in the location they chose.
Conclusion When everyone has added their story, whole class discuss what these decorated
maps mean. Everyone has migrated to Hackney at some point. People in Hackney have roots
all over the world. Use the statement at the top of this page to start a class discussion.
*Source: http://www.hackney.gov.uk/Assets/Documents/Hackney-Profile.pdf
Introduction to shared identities in Hackney
25
Fabrics
Aims To understand the importance of
fabrics in everyday life.
Curriculum links Spoken language years
1 to 6 - Participate in discussions,
presentations and performances; ask
relevant questions to extend
understanding and knowledge; Art and
design KS1&2 – produce creative work,
exploring their ideas and recording their
experiences; Evaluate and analyse
creative works using the language of art,
craft and design.
© Steve Evans
Prior to the session Ask each child to
bring in a piece of a fabric from home.
Brainstorm/introduction Talk about the
importance of fabrics. What fabrics have
children used or seen today? What do we know about where our clothes come from?
Look at the labels in your clothes. What fabrics do we use every day and which fabrics are
just for special occasions? As a class, think about what sort of things they’d need to know
about a piece of fabric to write about it… Who does this belong to? What is it used for?
Where is it from?
Activity Pupils each create a character who might use/wear the fabric (or they might choose
to use the real-life owner). Using the postcard templates, each pupil writes a postcard from
their character, in which the fabric is mentioned. What will go on the front of the postcard? Is
the character writing from Hackney or writing to someone in Hackney?
Extension: Fashion show Ask the children to bring in fabric, clothes and accessories that
have a significance in their home. Maybe their mum made them something for a funeral or
wedding, maybe it was something a grandparent owned which has stayed in the family or
maybe it has a personal or emotional connection for the child. Organise a fashion show for
your class, year group, school or parents.
Introduction to the importance of textiles in Hackney
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Aims To introduce the class to the
work of world famous, Hackneybased artist Yinka Shonibare MBE
and local designer Honey Malaolu.
For their work to inspire the
children’s own art practice.
Curriculum links Art & Design
KS1&2 – Pupils should know about
great artists, craft makers and
designers, and understand the
historical and cultural development
of their art forms. They should also
know how art and design both reflect
and shape our history, and contribute to the culture, creativity and wealth of our nation.
Photograph courtesy of James Mollison, 2014
Local artists and designers
Prior to the session Familiarise yourself with the profiles of Shonibare and Malaolu in
chapter 4 of this pack.
Resources World map, pictures of the artist’s work, craft materials for children to make their
own.
Introduction Brief biography of Yinka Shonibare MBE. Use a world map to mark his journey
from London to Nigeria and back to London. What does MBE mean? Look at some of
Shonibare’s artwork and discuss the importance of the fabrics within it. Depending on the
class, this could be looked at in a variety of ways from the fabric makes it more colourful and
interesting to what do you think the artist is saying about Africa/race/colonialism? Discuss
all the places that the children might have seen his artwork: Ship in a Bottle is outside the
National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, in the last year he’s also had work in the V&A and
The William Morris Gallery, as well as New York, South Korea, Brazil, Germany. Big reveal –
Yinka Shonibare MBE is a Hackney-based artist! His studio is on Andrews Road, near
Cambridge Heath station. He moved to East London because there were lots more art
galleries than in South London.
Main session Making sculptures or pictures, in small groups, pairs or individually based on
the examples you’ve seen. You might like to use one of Yinka’s quotes about Hackney, being
an artist or the concept of home to inspire this. Give children copies of the sheet to choose
from, or select one and write it on the board for the whole class to work on.
Extension Compare Shonibare’s work with Malaolu’s. Honey also has roots in Nigeria and is
also based in Hackney. She has designed clothes for Team GB athletes like Christine
Ohuruogu. How is their work similar / different? Who do they create work for? The same
audience or different audiences? Why do they create their work? How does their work
convey a sense of their roots in Africa?
Introduction to artists & designers of African descent in Hackney
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Fabrics from Ghana: Adinkra symbols & Kente
cloth
Aims To introduce children to basic Adinkra symbols and their meanings.
Resources World map, copies of Adinkra worksheets (Chapter 4), A4 paper in various
colours, scissors, pencils, rulers, examples of Kente cloth (online, in books or the real thing).
Introduction Brainstorm: what do clothes/fabrics tell us about the person who is wearing
them? Find Ghana on a world map. Since around the 19th century, people in Ghana have
worn fabric with Adinkra symbols. The symbols all have different, important meanings. At
first, the Asante people of Ghana would wear clothes decorated with symbols on important
occasions. Now it is worn by other ethnic groups in Ghana on a variety of social occasions.
Symbols often represent a quality about the person who wears them.
Activity 1 (in small groups) Give a copy of the Adinkra worksheet to each team. The first
column is Adinkra symbols and their names, the second column is their English translation
and the third is what they represent. Ask them to try to work out/guess which symbol goes
with which translation and which literal meaning. Ask groups to share their thoughts before
revealing the answers (answer sheet in Chapter 4).
Introduction to Activity 2 Show some pictures of Kente cloth, another important and
traditional Ghanaian fabric. Like symbols, colours are very significant in Ghanaian fabrics. As a
class discuss what you think of when you think of certain colours. Use the colours and
meanings list of words (Chapter 4) to look at colours and meaning in Ghanaian Kente cloth.
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Design your own Kente patterns
Activity
Designing Kente patterns
Design could be based on a topic or book that the class is exploring.
Introduction/discussion: What colours/shapes are represented by
these themes?
On A4 pieces of paper measure and mark four 10cm x 30cm strips
and cut along the lines.
Use a variety of strips of colour to create the base of your Kente
design.
Resources
A4 paper in
various colours
Scissors
Pencils
Rulers
Glue
Examples of Kente
cloth (online, in
books or the real
thing)
Glue the base strips onto mount board or an A4 piece of sugar
paper.
Use pencils and rulers to design geometric patterns of stripes,
squares, diamonds, triangles on sugar paper. Refer to the original
Kente cloth samples, the colours and meanings worksheet (Chapter
4) and use the shapes and patterns as inspiration for their own.
Cut the shapes out and stick them onto the strips in the desired
pattern.
Use the finished samples to create a display on Kente, or as the
background for a class display on Africa.
More information http://www.adinkra.org/htmls/adinkra_index.htm
http://www.stlawu.edu/gallery/education/f/09textiles/adinkra_symbols.pdf
Introduction to meaning in African textiles
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Activities for younger children
Fabric Snap Cut out the cards provided in chapter 4. In pairs or small groups, the class can
play simple card games such as Pairs or Snap. Some of the cards have the names, origins and
pictures of the fabric on them and some are just the images. You could start with the
labelled cards and then add in the unlabelled cards, or they could all be used together from
the start. Focus: Africa is a large and very diverse continent, there are many different
examples of African fabrics and lots are specific to a country, region or tribe.
Fashion show Ask the children to bring in fabric, clothes and
accessories that have a significance in their home. Maybe their
mum made them something for a funeral or wedding, maybe it
was something a grandparent owned which has stayed in the
family or maybe it has a personal or emotional connection for the
child. Organise a fashion show for your class, year group, school
or parents.
Colouring in Use the Adinkra symbols and Africa outline to create
posters to advertise your fashion show. Use African fabrics to
inspire the colours and patterns of your designs and make a
Pupils from the African Community
class display.
School share their sense of style in a
fashion show at Hackney Museum
Recommended books
Kente Colors by Debbi Chocolate
Anansi the Spider by Gerald McDermott
Africa is Not A Country by Margy Burns Knight and Anne Sibley O’Brien
Introduction to African fabrics for KS1
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3.
Big projects
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Grow your own garment
Instructions by Cordwainers Grow, a Hackney based community interest company.
Each year Cordwainers Grow runs and supports a growing project in London. In 2014 they
made a community garment from flax grown in plots around the city, which will be on
display in the African Threads - Hackney Style exhibition.
Follow their instructions to grow thread with your class or an after-school group.
YOU WILL NEED: About a metre square of soil in a fairly open
position, 12g flax seeds, a water butt or large bin to soak the
stalks, fibre combs of varying sizes, spindle.
YOU WILL GET: About 5 metres or 10g of yarn/metre Sq.
Growing instructions
INSTRUCTIONS:
PREPARE YOUR SOIL by weeding thoroughly and raking until it is
fine.
SOW between late March and mid-April either in rows about
4cm apart or broadcast. Cover the seeds with enough soil to
hide them from the birds. Flax grows best in fairly denselysown blocks. The plants will support each other.
GROW Flax takes about a week to
germinate and 90-100 days to mature. It shouldn’t need watering.
During this time, WEED your patch. Flax doesn’t like competition
and the fibre will suffer.
HARVEST after flowering when seed heads
(bolls) have formed. The stalks and bolls start to go brown. Pull the
plants up by their roots and remove soil and weeds. Keep the stalks
straight and parallel.
DRY You can hang your harvest in a dry place or lay it out on a shed floor.
Turn to avoid it getting damp.
RIPPLE Take the seed heads off when they are brown. Save
them to eat or sow.
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RET Wet the flax to encourage bacteria to break the outside of the
stalk down to expose the fibre. You can lay your flax on grass to dew
ret. This takes a couple of weeks, or you can put the flax in a barrel or
large bucket for about a week. This is the smelly option but is more
efficient and produces paler flax.
DRY again until you are ready to turn your stalks into thread.
BREAK/SCUTCH Break and remove the inner core of the
stalk – using a ‘breaker’, hands or mallets. HECKLE/HACKLE
Comb the fibres so that they are ready to be spun. Use
increasingly finer combs, from nails
in wood to nit combs.
SPIN Using a wheel, spindle or even a hand drill. You can buy spindles
online for less than £10 (for example www.thewoolbarn.com).
DYE or leave natural to KNIT or WEAVE.
CORDWAINERS GROW’S
FINISHED GARMENT!
Corwainers Grow worked with the
London College of Fashion and
hundreds of Hackney pupils and
families to grow, dye, design and
knit this jumper.
Perhaps your group could use
their thread to make a school flag.
A big thank you to Cordwainers
for allowing us to share this guide.
For more information, to invite
Cordwainers into your school and to
see pictures of the project visit:
https://cordwainersgarden.wordpress.com/page/2/ or email [email protected]
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The Hackney Fabric:
Make your own Hackney print
Young girls from the Threads Fashion Project on the Pembury Estate created their own
Hackney Fabric for the African Threads - Hackney Style exhibition. They visited Ridley Road
Market and Mermaid Fabrics to speak to the experts buying and selling African textiles. They
experimented with traditional African printing and dyeing techniques to create their own
Hackney fabric and made a film about the project.
Check out Hackney Museum’s Vimeo page to view
a film about the Threads Project made by Peabody
Trust, Film Cool and the participants:
https://vimeo.com/hackneymuseum. Hear from
the young women who created the Hackney Fabric
for the African Threads - Hackney Style exhibition
and discover more about how they found
inspiration in Hackney and the techniques used to
create the fabric.
Follow these activities to explore what Hackney means to your pupils and design and make a
class fabric based on their responses. If your class is visiting Hackney Museum as part of
Black History Season, this is a great follow up project, as various parts of the following lesson
plans could be linked back to the museum session.
Thanks to Janine Francois and Kirsty, Amirat, Acacian, Esther, N'almah, Gloria, Clara, Latifa, Sonia,
Ayo, Nabila, Haleema, Tifany, Debbie and Wendy from the Threads Fashion Project for their
amazing ideas and designs and for allowing us to share these instructions.
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Part 1: Generating ideas
Aims For the children to explore their unique
identities within Hackney, to look at what Hackney
means to the class individually and collectively and
to begin to think about what symbols might go
onto a collaborative fabric.
A symbol designed to
represent ‘unity’ and
multiculturalism.
Talking Heads: reflecting upon our own identity in
Hackney
Distribute pieces of paper to each child and explain that
the circle in the centre represents them, so they write
their name/draw themselves in the centre of the circle.
The circles on the periphery are components that make
up their identity and make them who they are e.g.
Religion, music, food, fashion style etc.
In pairs ask the group to share their ‘talking heads.’
Stand If...: Sharing and celebrating commonalities & individuality
Ask for volunteers to read one thing from their talking head. They will start the sentence
with: ‘stand up if you ...’ (e.g. ‘…are African’ or ‘like rock music’). Other class members stand
up if they connect with the particular identity being shared. Use as many examples as you
have time for.
Discussion: what were the things most of us had in common? Make a list. The things we have
in common in Hackney could be the main themes for the Hackney Print we are creating.
Sculpting Hackney
In groups, create sculptures that represent what Hackney looks like to them. This could be
any particular part of Hackney e.g. Rio Cinema, markets, canal etc. Use newspaper, tape and
elastic bands to create the sculptures.
Discussion: how could this exercise help us to decide the themes and symbols we choose for
the Hackney Print? Our favourite places in Hackney, what we like doing (leisure, learning,
outdoors etc…)
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Themes for the Hackney
Fabric were decided on as a
group through activities
exploring individual and
shared identity in Hackney
Reflecting on our shared identity in Hackney
Lay paper on 4 tables each with the following question written in a circle:
 What do you think of when you think of Hackney?
 Who are the people of Hackney?
 What shapes do we see in Hackney?
 What sounds and rhythms do we hear in Hackney?
In 4 groups take it in turns to visit each table and respond to the question by writing or
drawing on the paper. Stick paper on the walls.
Discussion: what are the 4 recurring themes / most popular words?
Deciding on the title for our Hackney Print
Ask the participants to work in small groups or
pairs to create symbols that respond to the four
themes they have created.
Use the class’s notes and discussion so far to
decide on a title for the piece. The Threads girls
called their Hackney Print ‘Home’ – what will you
call yours? Decide before you start making so
everyone is thinking, designing and making
under the same title.
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Part 2: Exploring
Print Patterns &
Experimentation
Aims To learn about
different techniques and
to understand how and
why they produce
different results.
Simple stencils were created using vegetables and camp roll /
yoga mat and the girls experimented with colour and pattern
Activity
Resources
Potato, Yam and Sweet Potatoes Prints
Potatoes
Prepare potato and yam prints for the participants to experiment with. Use Yams
the four themes the participants came up with in previous sessions as a
Sweet Potatoes
basis.
A3 Paper
Craft Knives
Create simple shapes on the fabric with the stamps, lines that represent Acrylic Paints
the movements or beat of Hackney. Make repetitive rhythmic patterns
that travel in any direction they choose.
Designing stamps
Camp roll/yoga
Provide participants with different sized squares and blocks of wood,
mat
which are equal in size.
Printing Block
Craft Knife
Create a design on small pieces of camp roll/yoga mat. With the help of Wooden backs of
an adult cut out the design using scissors or a craft knife. Stick designs
photo-frames.
onto the blocks of wood and allow them to dry for 20 minutes.
Designing stencils
Plastic Card
Transfer the Hackney symbols participants created previously onto plastic A3 Paper
card. Use craft knife to cut out stencils for participants. Use a sponge to
Craft Knives
apply paint through the stencil.
Acrylic Paints
Kitchen sponges
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Part 3:
Designing the
Background
Aims To experiment
with tie & dye and
rolling / sponging
fabric.
Activity
Tie & Dye techniques
Bulls Eye: Pinch fabric in various ways and knot using
elastic bands.
Accordion: Fold the fabric in vertically then fold back on
itself creating an accordion / concertina effect and hold in
place using elastic bands or string.
Diamond: Fold fabric in accordions method and fold
corners in to right angled triangle and fold back on itself
in to another triangle repeating the process until reaching
end of fabric. Hold in shaping using elastic bands that
keep triangle form.
Or: fabric can be dyed by submerging in to different
colours.
Preparation Dampen selection of fabrics for tie & dye.
Prepare colours for tie and dye. Pre-wash fabric, ironing
and cutting into squares. Lay newspaper on tables and
floor. Tables set up for rolling colour. Drying area set up.
Resources
5 X Dylan Dye
Salt (100g for each dye)
5 X buckets
Elastic bands
String
Gloves
Aprons
Sponges, rollers and palettes
Paper
Pencils, pens
Old newspaper / bin liners to
cover floors / tables
Rollers
Sponges
Paint trays
Clothes rack for drying
Rolling / Sponging Fabric
Step 1: Lay ironed fabric flat on work surface
Step 2: Pour desired paint colours in tray
Step 3: Use rollers or sponges to dip in to paint and then
roll or swivel sponge on fabric.
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Part 4: Starting
to build and add
character to the
print: Stencils &
Printing
These printing
techniques are really
simple for any age to
try.
Activity
Resources
Printing with Camp Roll Stamps & Vegetables
Use stamps and dyed material from previous sessions.
Gloves
Aprons
Clothes rack
Facilitator to ask participants to work in small groups (perhaps Textiles paint
based on the four key words discussed previously)
Acrylic
Scrap fabric
On scrap fabric ask each group to create pulse / rhythm using Sponges, rollers and palettes
their stamp where symbols are “dancing” with each other.
Camp Roll/yoga mats for
block printing
Once each group feel they have found their rhythm ask them Old newspaper / bin liners to
to collect an unused background piece and to translate their cover floors / tables
conversation on to the print.
Ask the participants to come together as large group and see
how their stencils come together to represent all 4 themes.
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Activity
Resources
Assembling your finished Hackney Fabric!
All the finished squares of
fabric
Ask the participants to come together as large group and see Sewing machine
how their finished pieces of fabric come together to represent Embellishments (beads,
the themes you chose at the beginning.
ribbon)
Lay out the work the participants have created on the floor or
a large table so you can all see it.
As a group discuss:
 different ways the work could be displayed – either
hung as individual pieces on a washing line or wall or
stitched together to create on large collective Hackney
fabric
 how the squares could fit together – as a portrait or
landscape banner or in the shape of Africa or Hackney
 a title for the piece
 embellishments – beads, ribbons and different
coloured threads. Will you use any on your Hackney
print?
Pin the fabric in the chosen style or shape and stich together.
Organise an event in school to celebrate your Hackney fabric,
inviting parents and other classes to come and see it.
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4.
Resources
The following resources were made by staff at Hackney Museum and you are free to use
them as you wish. All images our own or in the public domain, unless otherwise state
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I moved to Hackney.
At least one of my parents moved to Hackney.
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At least one of my grandparents or great grandparents moved
to Hackney.
I don’t know when my family moved to Hackney.
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Photograph courtesy of James Mollison, 2014
Yinka Shonibare MBE was born in London in 1962 and moved to Lagos,
Nigeria when he was 3. He returned to London to study Fine Art. He now works as an
artist from a studio in Hackney. His artwork explores issues such as colonialism, race
and class.
Yinka often uses African textiles in his work. He
commented on this in an interview with The
Culture Trip.
“You know they may be more fashionable
now, but these are fabrics that have been
around for a long time. I’m using textiles
that have existed for centuries… I’m not
doing anything new here.”
The British Library by Yinka Shonibare MBE.
Photo by Nigel Green, 2014. © The Artist.
One of his most famous pieces of art is Ship in a
Bottle, which is currently outside the National
Maritime Museum in Greenwich. In an interview
for Hackney Live, he said:
”Ship in a Bottle, that’s outside a national
museum and that’s somebody from
Hackney doing that. There are no
boundaries, you can cross wherever you
want.”
Photograph by Mike Peel (www.mikepeel.net)
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On whether Nigeria or London feels like home (from interview with The Culture Trip):
“I don’t think it’s a question of choice. Growing up in Lagos there was a big
awareness of British culture; I always visited London regularly, and it has never felt
like an alien place… it has always felt like a home from home. I don’t think I’ve ever
really had to categorise myself as one or the other.”
On why and how he became an artist (from interview with Hackney Live):
“I started doing art at school and I guess I was good at it. I wanted to continue
because I enjoyed it so much. I grew up in Nigeria, so when I was in Nigeria I used to
go to museum workshops with children and I really loved doing those, so I just
continued really and decided I would go to art school.”
On being a black artist (from interview with Art 21):
“Working in London as an artist, it’s already crazy to just make this a choice. It’s
difficult enough. Working as a black artist it’s twice as difficult I think. Now, people
accept the fact that you’re a black artist and you’re working. This wasn’t the case
fifteen years ago.”
“There were not many role-models of very successful black artists when I left art
school. I had to devise ways of making myself heard and my work received. I wanted
to see if there was a way of transcending those barriers and seeing if those barriers
could somehow be kept down.”
His advice to aspiring artists (from interview with Hackney Live):
“My advice to anyone, if you really want to be successful, you have to go through
education. It’s a slight inconvenience, but the long term gain is huge.”
On why he decided to move to East London (from interview with Hackney Live):
“I used to live in South London, but there are a lot of galleries in Hackney, a lot of
artists live here and I found that I was coming to art exhibitions in Hackney a lot, and
it was taking me hours to get back home. So I decided, why not move? I live next
door, Tower Hamlets. But my studio is in Hackney.”
Quotes above from various articles and videos online. For full interviews:
- Art 21 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2EAKiV7IJc
- Culture Trip http://theculturetrip.com/africa/nigeria/articles/colonialism-and-culturalhybridity-an-interview-with-yinka-shonibare-mbe/
- Hackney Live https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-UkhFGNheQ
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Honey Malaolu
KS2 sessions will be run by Hackney-based fashion and textile design, Honey Malaolu.
Honey Malaolu has created a fashion brand that creates outfits inspired by different ethnic
cultures. Traditional African prints and weaves connect Honey to her African roots and each
design is developed with elegant cuts and contemporary twists, Africa is key to all her
designs, but that does not limited her scope to inspiration from all walks of life.
Honey uses a butterfly symbol in many of her pieces. Inspired by the shape, texture,
uniqueness and bold colours of the butterfly’s wings, Honey‘s designs experiment with the
idea of symmetry in nature and the butterfly as a symbol of freedom.
“We Nigerians will take any opportunity to wear bright
colours!”
Images © Honey Malaolu
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After undertaking her Fashion and Textiles BA Degree, Honey founded her ecologically aware
company, dedicated to using environmentally friendly techniques in production processes.
Garments are hand-stitched in Honey’s studio in East London using materials from around
the world.
Honey is well known locally and has designed pieces for Team GB athletes like Christine
Ohuruogu. She enjoys sharing her passion for African textiles with young people and has
worked in children’s centres with families and with primary and secondary schools across
Hackney.
www.honeymalaolu.com
[email protected]
© Honey Malaolu
“I’ve always loved African fabrics and learned about them from a young age. Aso oke
is a typical hand woven Nigerian fabric which is worn at special occasions.
I made this red aso oke wedding dress for my undergraduate degree show in 2010. It
was inspired by both my African and Hackney influences. The red aso oke was
originally worn by my family members at my great-grandfather’s funeral in Nigeria. It
was a sad occasion and many years later, I wanted to use the fabric to mark a happy
event.
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Adinkra symbols and their meanings
The Fence
Wisdom of learning from
the past
SANKOFA
The Wisdom Knot
Love, goodwill
and faithfulness
The Heart
Wisdom, intelligence
and patience
EBAN
NYANSAPO
Go back to fetch it
Enough to go around,
sharing and togetherness
Sack of Kola Nuts
Love, safety and security
BESE SAKA
AKOMA
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Love, goodwill and
faithfulness
Wisdom, intelligence and
patience
Enough to go around,
sharing and togetherness
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spiritual energy
peace, harmony, love
growth, harvesting, land
healing and cleansing
sacrifice, bloodshed
wealth, fertility and beauty
female aspects of life
mother earth and healing
Themes associated with colours in Ghanaian Kente cloth
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Kente Cloth
Fact Sheet
Where is it from? Most examples of
Kente cloth are from Ghana, but the
fabric is worn across Africa, Europe,
America, and Asia by people of
African heritage. Kente is pan African
How is it made? Kente is by hand
weaving strips of cloth on a loom
and sewing them together using
geometric designs to create larger
pieces of cloth.
When is it worn? Kente cloth is used in: Celebrations: Weddings, Births,
Graduations, Ceremonies to bring in new leaders; Whenever you want to
respectfully show your African heritage.
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Cards
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Which object of yours (or your family’s) would you pick to
describe what Hackney means to you?
I’d chose a… _________________________________
Why have you chosen this object?
Draw it here
Chosen by
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Chosen by
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5.
Preparing for your visit to
Hackney Museum
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Introduction to Hackney Museum for KS2
Aims To introduce/remind class about Hackney Museum and what it is about.
Resources Internet access on a big screen. A copy of the museum caption template and I
Am Hackney poem (Chapter 4) for each child.
Introduction: what is Hackney Museum about? If you’ve been before, what have you
seen? If you haven’t been before what do you think it might be about? Hackney Museum is
about the people of Hackney - people like you and me who have made Hackney their home.
The history of Hackney is made up of people’s stories and experiences.
Whole class activity What makes Hackney different from other places in London/the UK/the
world? 6th most diverse borough in London, 88 languages spoken, 75% of people who live in
Hackney say English is their first language; significantly lower than the percentage for the
whole of the UK – 92%. 11.4% of residents identify as Black African, significantly more than
the London average (7%) and England average (1.8%). 7.8% Caribbean (compared with 4.2%
and 1.1%) and 3.9% Other Black (compared with 2.1% and 0.5%). Hackney also has a
significantly higher mixed/multiple ethnic group percentage. See
http://www.hackney.gov.uk/Assets/Documents/Hackney-Profile.pdf for more information.
Whole class activity Brainstorm: What sort of objects would you expect to see in Hackney
Museum? Use the Online Collections Catalogue (http://museum.hackney.gov.uk/results) to
see if the guesses are right. Focus: lots of the items in the museum are everyday items. Why?
Because we believe they tell us what Hackney was like in the past and is like today. History
isn’t just about Kings and Queens, it’s about everyone.
Individual activity What item of yours/your family’s would you donate to Hackney
Museum? Why? What does it tell us about you? What does it tell us about Hackney? Use the
caption worksheet in chapter 4 as a template to make a museum sign for the object. Share
objects/stories in groups or as class.
Alternative/additional activity Show the class the poem ‘I AM’ in chapter 4 of this pack.
This was written by a group of young people who took part in a project exploring ‘journeys’.
They collectively wrote this poem to explore their own personal journeys, their roots,
identities and their shared journey together as young people living and studying in Hackney
today. Create a similar poem for your class, with each child or pair contributing one line.
Extension Captions could form the basis to a Museum of Us, with everyone’s stories (and
objects if possible) displayed in a school exhibition.
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Preparing your class for their visit
There are many different ways to introduce the themes of the exhibition to your pupils. We
have included some draft lessons here, for before and after your visit. Whether you decide to
use these plans or not, we recommend that children are introduced to some of the topics
before their session at Hackney Museum.
Ensuring your visit runs smoothly
All teachers bringing classes to the museum should familiarise themselves with this Teachers’
Pack. Themes explored in the museum session should ideally be introduced to pupils prior to
their visit – introductory lessons plans are included in this pack as suggested ways of doing
this.
Please ensure that you arrive on time for your session. Sessions run back to back, so if you
are ten minutes late, we may have to cut your session short by ten minutes.
KS1 When you arrive, you will be met by a member of museum staff who will be leading the
session. The taught session, which will involve the children exploring the exhibition and
beginning work on their own symbols, will last for 60 minutes.
KS2 When you arrive, you will be met by a member of museum staff who will welcome the
class before handing you over to Honey Malaolu who will deliver the session. The taught
session, which includes an interactive tour of the exhbition, will last for 90 minutes.
The session will be led by a professional and, in most cases, supported by volunteers.
However, if you can bring additional adult helpers, please do.
Bring a camera! The exhibition will provide an exciting and colourful backdrop for pictures.
When sharing images on your school’s Twitter page, please tag us: @HackneyMuseum.
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This resource pack was written and compiled by Josie Stevens and Emma Winch, with
contributions from Niti Acharya, Janine Francois and Kate Poland, to accompany the African
Threads - Hackney Style exhibition at Hackney Museum in 2015-2016. Hackney Museum
would like to extend thanks to:
Hackney Museum Teachers' Forum
Alison Campbell, St
Dominic’s RC Primary
Deborah Snowden &
Theresa Luke,
Garden School
Sandra Hall & Sian
Davies, William
Patten Primary
Emma Yearley & Rob
Cumpstey,
Kingsmead Primary
Katie Fowler, St John
& St James Primary
Marie Kerrigan,
Morningside Primary
Nasima Ephraim,
Colvestone Primary
Rebecca McKenzie &
Orlene Badu, St
Matthias
Salena Gray, Berger
Primary
Sheena Merchant,
Grasmere Primary
Threads Fashion Project Staff and Participants and Peabody Trust
Janine Francois
Surrinda Ram
Jessica Thomas
Haleema Sadiq
Nabila Ram
Tifany Sahili
Acacian Henry
Sonia Obasogie
Gloria Mussumba
Esther Ilelaboye
Wendy Zetel
Debbie Tijani
Kirsty Andoh
Ayo Oyedele
Clara N'Jie
Latifa N'Jie
Amirat Animashaun
N'almah Laurence-Dixon
Felicity Hunt
Lipy Ali
David Ali
Steve Burns
Alek Lewin
Oliver Rosen
To the local people, artists, designers and organisations whose work features in this pack:
Airchurek Esenalieva
Barri Disu
Honey Malaolu
Jack Hicks
Kate Poland
Nana Ama EwusiEmmim
Penny MacInnes
Seynabou Mbaye
Steve Evans
Yinka Shonibare MBE
Winstan Whitter
African Community
School
Cordwainers Garden
Leaping Lizards
Peabody
Royal Geographic
Society
Shonibare Studio
Wear Zulu
Hackney Museum, Technology and Learning Centre, 1 Reading Lane, Hackney E8 1GQ
www.hackney.gov.uk/museum / [email protected] / 020 8356 265
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Your feedback is really important… Please complete this form and return it to us, via email:
[email protected]
or via post: Learning Team at Hackney Museum, Technology and
Feedback form
Learning Centre, 1 Reading Lane, London, E8 1GQ. Thank you!
What parts of the Teachers’ Pack did you use and how useful were they?
Please circle the relevant answer.
Content from the exhibition
Did not use
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A bit useful
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Classroom activities
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Big projects
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Resources
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Preparing for your visit
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What did you like about the pack?
How could the pack have been improved?
Please provide your contact details if you are happy for us to get in touch to
discuss this further.
Name:
Email address:
Phone number:
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