Kuba Tcaka or Dance Skirt

A long strip of tiny pattern squares, sewn like a very careful sampler.

This tcaka or dance skirt is Kuba, from Democratic Republic of Congo, Central Africa, and dates to the 20th century. It is embroidered 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. Long textile in beige and brown, covered in fine small-scale geometric designs divided into sections. A small notch or patch appears near the lower end, and the bottom edge turns to plainer cloth. It is 40 inches wide and 206 long.

An exercise in small patterns and enormous patience.