Kuba Tcaka or Dance Skirt

A black-and-white checkerboard column runs beside rows of boxed marks on rusty 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. Abstract geometric designs on the cloth act as a visual language valued across Kuba society, and some say it grew from scarification patterns, crop patterns or even divine intervention. A thin dark border finishes the bottom, and the edges ripple gently. It is 20 inches wide and 177 long.

A tiny chessboard that forgot about the pieces.