Our favorite pattern. These are now extremely rare, and we are happy to have one available again.
Made from Raffia fibre from the Raffia palm tree and showing some fine embroidery.
Using a piece of woven raffia as a base, these rectangular pieces of cloth are worn by the men for certain dances wrapped around their hips.
Modern artists such as Paul Klee and Matisse have been influenced & incorporate these designs into their works. The warm harmonies of color tones turn these fabrics into abstract pictures. These richly decorated cloths take a considerable amount of time to create, as they are hand-woven, stitched & dyed. Due to the fact that they are labor-intensive to create, they are highly prized. This cloth has been finely hand-woven by the men who weave these panels on the loom, while the women decorate the cloth.
The Kuba people
were once referred as the Bambala meaning “people of the cloth”.
Today, the word denotes a large tribe that consists of several sub-tribes
including the Bushoong, Ngeende, Ngongo, & Shoowa. Whilst the
textile has a very modern “Matisse-like” look with its bold, geometric
pattern, this is an old and exceptional Kuba skirt.
Dimensions: 245" in length (20' 2") x 33 3/4" width.
