Kuba Tcaka or Dance Skirt

Interlocking square spirals in black and cream march down a very narrow strip.

This tcaka or dance skirt is Kuba, from Democratic Republic of Congo, Central Africa, and dates to the 20th century. It is applique raffia. Kuba cloth comes from the Kuba Kingdom in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where men and women work side by side to make cloths that carry a great deal of symbolism. Narrow textile with a cream and black ground covered in squared spirals and stepped maze motifs in vertical columns. The edges are straight and the pattern is strong and graphic. It is 20 inches wide and 246 long.

Every spiral turns right angles with great conviction.