Kuba Tcaka or Dance Skirt

Warm honey tone, faint patterns, and the look of something folded away for decades.

This tcaka or dance skirt is Kuba, from Central Africa, and dates to the 20th century. It is embroidered 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 upright length in a light caramel brown with soft, barely visible geometric marks spread over its surface. Vertical seams run down the body, the top edge is uneven, and creases give the whole piece a gentle, worn look. It is 39 inches wide and 185 long.

Modesty practiced at a very high level.