Kiba Shoowa Nshak
Nshak (skirt) from
The harlequin pattern is often reserved for the male wearers and purple is a colour which often represents royalty and wealth, however the shorter skirts are often worn by women.
The raphia skirt would be bunched up and wrapped around many times.The Kuba tribe are highly regarded for their rafia work, weaving ‘dance skirts’. Using appliqué, embroidery, cut-pile and resist dyeing techniques, the Kuba have one of the largest textile repertoires in the whole of Africa.
Kuba men weave, while the women embroider and appliqué. Appliqué is used for not only decorative but also utilitarian purposes. Unfortunately, raphia cloth is not very durable, so the pounding often results in holes in the cloth, which the decorative appliqué covers up.
This piece has some damage and stains due to age.
69x210cm
Nshak (skirt) from
The harlequin pattern is often reserved for the male wearers and purple is a colour which often represents royalty and wealth, however the shorter skirts are often worn by women.
The raphia skirt would be bunched up and wrapped around many times.The Kuba tribe are highly regarded for their rafia work, weaving ‘dance skirts’. Using appliqué, embroidery, cut-pile and resist dyeing techniques, the Kuba have one of the largest textile repertoires in the whole of Africa.
Kuba men weave, while the women embroider and appliqué. Appliqué is used for not only decorative but also utilitarian purposes. Unfortunately, raphia cloth is not very durable, so the pounding often results in holes in the cloth, which the decorative appliqué covers up.
This piece has some damage and stains due to age.
69x210cm
Nshak (skirt) from
The harlequin pattern is often reserved for the male wearers and purple is a colour which often represents royalty and wealth, however the shorter skirts are often worn by women.
The raphia skirt would be bunched up and wrapped around many times.The Kuba tribe are highly regarded for their rafia work, weaving ‘dance skirts’. Using appliqué, embroidery, cut-pile and resist dyeing techniques, the Kuba have one of the largest textile repertoires in the whole of Africa.
Kuba men weave, while the women embroider and appliqué. Appliqué is used for not only decorative but also utilitarian purposes. Unfortunately, raphia cloth is not very durable, so the pounding often results in holes in the cloth, which the decorative appliqué covers up.
This piece has some damage and stains due to age.
69x210cm