Kuba Shoowa Prestige Panel

Hundreds of tiny diamonds and dashes, all hurrying in slightly different directions.

This Shoowa prestige panel is Kuba, from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Central Africa, and dates to the 20th century. It is piled raffia. Cut-pile raffia of this kind is usually attributed to the Shoowa, a Kuba people of the Kasai region, and was traditionally made by women. Small and wide, the cloth is black, tan and brown, filled with minute diamonds, dashes and zigzags in horizontal bands. The upper area is finer and checkered, while the lower edge turns to larger interlaced shapes. The border is a narrow hem. The panel is 21.5 inches wide by 36 long.

Tiny marks, organized by someone who counted every single one.