Kuba Tcaka or Dance Skirt

Dark wine-red cloth patterned with soft, ring-like clouds that never quite finish.

This tcaka or dance skirt is Kuba, from Democratic Republic of Congo, Central Africa, and dates to the 20th century. It is dyed 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. Long, narrow textile in a dark wine-red and near-black tone, with faint circular and cloud-like motifs across the surface. Some pale marks appear near the top and the lower end is a deeper, richer shade. It is 22 inches wide and 266 long.

Dark, moody and glowing slightly from within.