Kuba Tcaka or Dance Skirt

Bold black meanders with tiny rust-red accents, like a fence designed by a mathematician.

This tcaka or dance skirt is Kuba, from Central Africa, and dates to the 20th century. It is woven & applique raffia. The cloth is made from raffia palm leaves, which are gathered, dried, softened, dyed and stripped into fibers before being woven into panels and then embroidered. Panel built from several squares of heavy black zigzag lines on a sand-colored ground. Small reddish diamonds peek out within the pattern, and the squares are joined by neat visible seams. It is 137 inches wide and 18.5 long.

Sharp lines, small surprises, no apologies.