Kuba Shoowa Prestige Panel

Zigzags stacked like a river seen from a plane.

This Shoowa prestige panel was woven by Kuba peoples of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Central Africa, in raffia during the 20th century. Cloths of this kind are often associated with rank, ceremony and funerary use. Nested, stepped lines run in dense bands across the surface, with dark triangular openings picked out in black among the tan and brown. The upper section is busier, while the lower section opens into broader, more regular chevrons. The nap is soft and slightly worn.

About sixty-five by twenty-four inches. Movement without moving, on a plain wall.