Congo's Kuba Cloth - motherland Africa's jewel

 

Kuba Cloth, a traditional raffia fabric (natural fibers made from the leaves of the raffia palm) from Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), formerly Zaire, woven by men and embellished with pile and stitched designs by women. The striking designs have a quilt-like quality and are an excellent inspiration for quilt designs. Kuba, also called Bakuba, is a cluster of about 16 Bantu-speaking groups in southeastern Congo located between the Sankuru and Kasai rivers, have been renowned for their textiles.

 

According to a Kuba legend, King Shamba Bolongongo introduced the arts of weaving and embroidery to his people in the 17th century. Both men and women contribute to the production of textiles made from raffia palm. While men are responsible for weaving the cloth, women practice a range of embroidery techniques.

 

 

 

 

 

The textiles are often embellished with geometric patterns, an aesthetic seen on many Kuba artforms, including body scarification. Their textiles function as gifts to establish relations of reciprocity, as compensation in a legal settlement, or as part of a marital contract. In addition, they are worn during public ceremonies and rituals, and are used to line coffins and to wrap the bodies of the deceased.

 

 

 

The Kuba people of DRC created this cloth to drape around themselves at celebrations. However, in modern times, Kuba cloth is largely used in interior deco. 

 

 

Kuba cloth is beautifully made and originally from the motherland Africa!

 

xoxo