Kuba Tcaka or Dance Skirt with Arrow Motif

Soft, tonal mazes in tan, so subtle they might be hiding behind the fabric.

This tcaka or dance skirt with arrow motif is Kuba, from Democratic Republic of Congo, Central Africa, and dates to the 20th century. It is embroidered & applique raffia. The cloth is made from raffia palm leaves, which are gathered, dried, softened, dyed and stripped into fibers before being woven into panels and then embroidered. Long textile in pale tan and straw, with faint raised-looking angular maze patterns and small motifs. The lower section is a plainer pale panel with a seam, and the edges have a slight wave. It is 36 inches wide and 158 long.

Muted, tidy and puzzling in the gentlest way.