Kuba Tcaka or Dance Skirt

Confident mazes and spirals in dark lines run down a seamed, tan cloth.

This tcaka or dance skirt is Kuba, from Democratic Republic of Congo, Central Africa, and dates to the 20th century. It is embroidered raffia. Typical woven panels measure about 26 by 28 inches and are sewn together into the great length of a wrap-around skirt, which can at times reach beyond twenty feet. Wide textile in tan and grey, with a vertical center seam and patterns of angular mazes, spirals and cross-hatching across stacked sections. The upper part is lighter and the lower sections darker, with a slightly crinkled surface. It is 33 inches wide and 155 long.

Orderly enough to get lost in on purpose.