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Skirt (ntshak) The raffia textiles created by the Kuba people in what is now Zaire were decorated using a number of techniques, including embroidery, embroidered pile and appliqué. Raffia dance skirts continue to be made and used in ceremonies to this day, but the tribute cloths that were once presented to rulers are now made solely to sell to collectors. Women's skirts average around 25 feet in length, while men's skirts often reach 30 feet. The cloth is wrapped around the waist multiple times, creating a rippling layered effect. The construction of a raffia skirt is a multi-stage process involving men and women. The first step is to gather and strip the raffia plant fibers, which are in turn used by the men to weave into a base cloth. Additional fibers are then dyed and embroidered on the fabric. This process is oftentimes done by the women. The pile additions are not knotted or tied but held in place due to the tightness of the woven ground cloth. The embroider stitches in individual strands of raffia, in a tight hook shape, which is then cut off close to the surface. This creates a texture and pattern on the fabric. The technique used
in the center of the piece above is called appliqué, while the
border is embroidered pile. The geometrically shaped pieces of raffia
cloth are applied randomly but evenly upon the ground cloth to create
a design. Each pattern created has a name which is linked to an object
or a person in the Kuba world. The central appliqué piece on the
skirt above is border by two different patterns Bula Buina (Bula's design)
and Nemo Nkanya (Kanya's fingers). These are then divided into sections
using cut-out triangles which exhibit the Lantshiong (shaved head) pattern. Raffia; plain weave,
appliqué, cut-pile embroidery, stem stitch and buttonhole stitch |
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