Kuba Tcaka or Dance Skirt

Soft tan sections, each ruled in tiny patterns, with one darker square patch on the left.

This tcaka or dance skirt is Kuba, from Democratic Republic of Congo, Central Africa, and dates to the 20th century. It is embroidered & applique 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 textile in pale tan with a vertical center seam and stacked sections of fine line patterns. A darker brown square patch sits upper left, and the surface is creased and mildly weathered. It is 34 inches wide and 196 long.

Quietly patched and patient about it.