KUBA SKIRTS 5, DRC

Kuba Skirt 27 7' 3" x 26", $350	Kuba Skirt 28 7' 10" x 28", $500
Kuba Skirt 27 detail, $350	Kuba Skirt 28 detail, $500

Kuba Skirt 25 SOLD	Kuba Skirt 26 SOLD
Kuba Skirt 25 SOLD	Kuba Skirt 26 SOLD

Kuba Skirt 29 8' x 34", $450, SOLD	Kuba Skirt 30 6' 10" x 19", SOLD
Kuba Skirt 29 detail, $450, SOLD	Kuba Skirt 30 detail, SOLD

Kuba skirts, Tcaka, long are cloths made from raffia, from 8 - 25 feet long, from the Ngeende, Bushoong and Ngongo peoples. They incorporate appliqued "patches", embroidered shapes and patterns, openwork, tie-dye, cowrie shells, barkcloth and border elements. The appliqued "patches" originally repaired holes, then developed into traditional design motifs. .Most are covered with geometric symbols; many are restrained, subtle and rhythmic designs using one technique; others create amazing quilt-like assemblages of old pieces of many forms. The full skirts, worn by men and women, are bunched up and wrapped around many times.

A NOTE ABOUT THESE PHOTOGRAPHS: Being as long as they are, these skirts are extremely difficult to photograph. Although the color tends to be fairly uniform, they do appear lighter at the top than the bottom due to the location of the light source. Any serious stains, holes or discolorations will be shown in the detail. These photographs were taken with the cloth hanging loosely. It can be pinned flat for display. The skirts on this page are much shorter than those on other pages and are thus shown in only one view.

CARE: The cloth is not fragile and can be pinned onto a wall or panel for display. To eliminate wrinkles, the cloth can be misted with water, and then gently ironed on the back.