Kuba Tcaka or Dance Skirt

A slim striped ribbon in red, cream and black checks, with a tidy beat.

This tcaka or dance skirt is Kuba, from Democratic Republic of Congo, Central Africa, and dates to the 20th century. It is 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. Very narrow strip of cloth with bold vertical bands of red and cream, plus bands of black and white checks. The edges are crisp and straight, and the colors are rich and clean with a slightly rolled upper end. It is 20 inches wide and 189 long.

Narrow, striped and quite happy in a straight line.