Kuba Tcaka or Dance Skirt, Mounted

A wide band of checkered squares filled with small symbols, each with its own opinion.

This tcaka or dance skirt is Kuba, from Democratic Republic of Congo, Central Africa, and dates to the 20th century. It is embroidered & applique raffia. Because the cloth is built from separate squares, they can be separated and recombined into new compositions, then backed and hung on a wall much like a tapestry. Horizontal textile with a checkerboard layout of cream, brown and dark cells, each holding a small black or colored motif such as crosses, circles and hooks. A narrow checked border runs along the top and bottom edges. It is 29 inches wide and 90 long.

Twenty small conversations stitched onto one tidy strip.