Kuba Tcaka or Dance Skirt

Checkerboards in rust, cream and black march down this strip like tiny tiled floors.

This tcaka or dance skirt is Kuba, from Democratic Republic of Congo, Central Africa, and dates to the 20th century. It is patchwork raffia & cowrie. 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 with bands of small checks and stepped patterns in rust red, cream and black. A strong repeat runs the full length, and the ends show a loose, frayed edge with softly faded areas. It is 37 inches wide and 168 long.

A riot of squares kept in remarkable order.