Kuba Tcaka or Dance Skirt

A tan cloth in many sections, a plain cream foot and a lot of fine marks.

This tcaka or dance skirt is Kuba, from Democratic Republic of Congo, Central Africa, and dates to the 20th century. It is raffia. Abstract geometric designs on the cloth act as a visual language valued across Kuba society, and some say it grew from scarification patterns, crop patterns or even divine intervention. Long textile in tan and grey-brown with sections of tiny line patterns, boxes and dotted designs. A plain cream band closes the lower end, and the surface is gently creased with softly uneven edges. It is 161 inches wide and 34 long.

Patient pattern work with a quiet blank ending.