Kuba N’Chak Dance Skirt
Beautiful and old Kuba dance skirt known as an N’chak, from the Kuba kingdom of DRC

Origin: Kuba Kingdom D.R.Congo
Approx Age: Early 20th Century
Materials: Raffia
Dimensions cm: 177 (longest point) x 60
Ref. Number: 1069
Description:
Lovely early 20th century Kuba dance skirt. The inner section is made with a red embroidered raffia giving a depth of pile, bordered by three pieces of again well-embroidered textile. The design showing an interlaces pattern created in a black raffia. One side has a slightly longer strip for the use of tucking in. The whole skirt is edged with red embroidery which pulls all the colours within this textile together. A lovely piece of Kuba textile/clothing.
History
The Nchak for ordinary day to day wear is usually a white and red garment worn wrapped around the lower body and held at the waist or beneath the breasts by a folded band of cloth or a belt made of twisted multi-strand fibre. Nchak usually consists of two or three raffia panels. During ceremonial dances, Nchak worn by women are considerably longer than those in
Amazingly though, the patterns, no matter how complicated, are never actually marked on the mats. Instead, the women keep the design being worked in their mind, anticipating the colour changes needed to complete the design. Not marking the textile with a pattern, is

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