Accession Number
1994/1.82

Title
Raffia Textile Panel

Artist(s)
Kuba

Artist Nationality
Kuba (Democratic Republic of Congo style)

Object Creation Date
circa 1970

Medium & Support
raffia palm fiber

Dimensions
21 7/8 in x 21 7/16 in (55.5 cm x 54.5 cm);5 15/16 in x 24 13/16 in (15 cm x 63 cm)

Credit Line
Gift of Phyllis and Sheldon Ross, Birmingham, Michigan

Label copy
Embroidered plush textiles are produced exclusively by royal Kuba women, and are worn, wrapped around the waist and secured with a belt, only by upper class women and men. People of lower classes may wear textiles in the same manner, but do not wear embroidered cloths. The base cloth, made from raffia (fibers from the raffia palm tree,) is normally woven by men, but all of the decorative work is done by women. The textiles are generally covered with geometric patterns, similar to patterns found on Kuba basket work, woodwork, sculpture, and female body scarifications. Patterns may be given names, but the same pattern will likely be given a different name by different people. There are no universal meanings attached to these motifs. The textiles are often called "velvets" because of their plush texture. At one time, textiles like this were made throughout much of central Africa, but today the Kuba are the only people continuing the practice.
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Design cloth
Shoowa peoples (Kuba sub-group)
Democratic Republic of the Congo
20th century
Cut pile raffia fiber, pigment
Gift of Phyllis and Sheldon Ross, 1994/1.82
Kuba artists apply their bold and sophisticated surface design to ceremonial and everyday objects alike. One of the most impressive expressions of this aesthetic tradition is cloth made from raffia fiber, a hardy and ubiquitous material that in Kuba thought symbolizes abundance and wealth. Decorated raffia cloth was used as currency and for public display at events such as the funerals of high-ranking titleholders—a practice that continues today. Men weave the base cloth, and women design, dye, and embroider it. Cloth designs are named, often after the women who created them, but in this case the name of the design is not known. Produced also for the international market, Kuba cloth—and imitations of its designs—can be found in shops and private collections around the world.
This cut-pile raffia cloth is typical of those made by the Shoowa, a Kuba subgroup. In cloth made for their own use, the Shoowa use an overall balanced pattern, a deep plush, and even lines. In cloth like this one, produced for the external market, artists juxtaposed different patterns and varied the fill-in designs.
(6/29/10)
Gallery Rotation Spring/Summer 2010
Design cloth
Shoowa peoples (Kuba sub-group)
Democratic Republic of the Congo
20th century
Cut pile raffia fiber, pigment
Gift of Phyllis and Sheldon Ross, 1994/1.82
Kuba artists apply their bold and sophisticated surface design to ceremonial and everyday objects alike. One of the most impressive expressions of this aesthetic tradition is cloth made from raffia fiber, a hardy and ubiquitous material that in Kuba thought symbolizes abundance and wealth. Decorated raffia cloth was used as currency and for public display at events such as the funerals of high-ranking titleholders—a practice that continues today. Men weave the base cloth, and women design, dye, and embroider it. Cloth designs are named, often after the women who created them, but in this case the name of the design is not known. Produced also for the international market, Kuba cloth—and imitations of its designs—can be found in shops and private collections around the world.
This cut-pile raffia cloth is typical of those made by the Shoowa, a Kuba subgroup. In cloth made for their own use, the Shoowa use an overall balanced pattern, a deep plush, and even lines. In cloth like this one, produced for the external market, artists juxtaposed different patterns and varied the fill-in designs.

Subject matter
The Kuba peoples are renowned for their elaborate, geometrical surface design, such as applied to this cloth. Also referred to as cut pile, raffia cloth, Shoowa textile or Kasai velvet (Velours du Kaisai), Kuba cloth is often made from barkcloth: a felt fabric, typically not classified as a textile because it is not woven. Their plush “velvet” texture is achieved through the cut pile technique, where a sharp knife is used to gently clip off the tufts of the palm thread.

In the 19th century, decorated raffia cloth was used as a marker of prestige, as currency, to pay tribute, settle legal disputes, and in public displays such as the funerals of high-ranking titleholders. Additionally, they were often used as initiation objects during ceremonial rites of passage. Though barkcloth is the typical fabric, recently industrial cloth has been used as a replacement.

The textiles are generally covered with geometric patterns, similar to patterns found on Kuba basketry, woodwork, sculpture, and female body scarifications. Patterns may be given names, but the same pattern will likely be given a different name by different people.

In this particular cloth, the lines folding onto one another in the upper right section can possibly be considered a loop or, according to the Bushoong, an INGAL: knot of the wood. The diamond pattern in this cloth is created through a repetitive crossing of  lines or the positioning of chevrons opposite one another. A double crossing can possibly be considered a reference to Woot, the mythical founder of the Kuba, whose mother invented mat weaving.

References:
Roy Sieber, African Textiles and Decorative arts, 1972
Georges Meurant, African Textiles from the Kingdom of Kuba, 1986
Daniel Biebuyck, The Arts of Zaire, 1985
Monni Adams, Kuba Embroidered Cloth, 1978

Physical Description
Square panel with  hemmed edges divided into four sections. The upper left section consists of opposing chevrons, while the lower left section consist of "x" styled patterns. The upper right section consist of diamonds formed by lines folding onto themselves while the lower right section consists of a grid of light tan diamond patterns. 

Primary Object Classification
Textile

Primary Object Type
fiber art

Collection Area
African

Rights
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit http://umma.umich.edu/request-image for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form. Keywords
clothing
embroidery (visual works)
geometric motifs
geometric patterns
geometric shapes
prestige
squares
textile art (visual works)
textile components