Kuba Tcaka or Dance Skirt

Fine lines, small keys and rounded boxes ramble down a soft olive-tan cloth.

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. Long textile in pale olive and tan, with delicate drawn lines forming keyhole shapes, small boxes and dotted frames. A darker section near the lower middle adds depth, and the edges wave gently. It is 30 inches wide and 172 long.

A meandering map without any hurry to arrive.