Kuba Tcaka or Dance Skirt

Gold-toned and covered in tiny stippled marks, like a very long sheet of fine print.

This tcaka or dance skirt is Kuba, from Democratic Republic of Congo, Central Africa, and dates to the 20th century. It is applique raffia. Because the cloth is built from separate squares, they can be separated and recombined into new compositions, then backed and hung on a wall much like a tapestry. Thin strip in muted olive gold, its surface covered in small close-set dots and cells in neat rows. Vertical seams divide the length into panels, and the edges look a little frayed and wavy. It is 32 inches wide and 213 long.

Thousands of small decisions, all made in the same direction.