Kuba Shoowa Prestige Panel

Two patterns on one panel, and neither one seems to mind its neighbor.

This Shoowa prestige panel is Kuba, from Central Africa, and dates to the 20th century. It is piled and woven raffia. Kuba textiles, generally made by men weaving the raffia and women adding the pile, are known for dense geometric designs that rarely repeat exactly. The left half carries staggered black rectangles outlined in tan and cream. The right half switches to interlaced zigzags and diamonds in black and tan. A narrow border of cut raffia edges the panel. It is 22.25 inches wide and 33 long.

Order, twice, in two separate dialects.