Kuba Tcaka or Dance Skirt

Red crosses and black-and-white checks take turns down a narrow strip.

This tcaka or dance skirt is Kuba, from Democratic Republic of Congo, Central Africa, and dates to the 20th century. It is applique patchwork raffia & cotton. Typical woven panels measure about 26 by 28 inches and are sewn together into the great length of a wrap-around skirt, which can at times reach beyond twenty feet. Narrow textile with a column of black and cream checks and alternating blocks of red and black cross-like motifs. A dark brown border runs along the sides and the lower end is lightly frayed. It is 32 inches wide and 298 long.

Red where it counts and checked everywhere else.