Kuba Tcaka or Dance Skirt

Brick red cloth with dark squiggles and a faded foot, quietly nonchalant.

This tcaka or dance skirt is Kuba, from Democratic Republic of Congo, Central Africa, and dates to the 20th century. It is 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 dark brick red with scattered black marks, hooks and small boxes in loose rows. The lower end is a lighter, more worn area with faint pale scratches, and the edges ripple gently. It is 32 inches wide.

Heavy on color and light on fuss.