Kuba cloth is made from the leaf of the raffia tree or palm, which is cut into strips and woven together to create the fabric. Each sub-group of the Kuba people
Kuba Kingdom
The Kuba Kingdom, also known as the Kingdom of the Bakuba or Bushongo, is a Kingdom in Central Africa. The Kuba Kingdom flourished between the 17th and 19th centuries in the region bordered by the Sankuru, Lulua, and Kasai rivers in the south-east of the modern-day Democratic Republic of t…
What is Kuba cloth?
This style originated in the 17th century in the Kuba kingdom of central Africa, in modern-day Democratic Republic of Congo. Traditionally woven using raffia palm fibers, Kuba cloths range in size and shape and are renowned as a significant art tradition from this part of the world.
What is Bakuba textiles?
Kuba textiles. A Bakuba woman embroidering a textile. Among the Bakuba it is the men who do the weaving, and the women do the embroidery and applique' work to their textiles.
Why do Kuba cloths have patches?
When kuba cloth originated there were probably no patches used, but as the cloth is brittle it is quite likely that the patches were used to repair the frequent tears. Later, each patch developed a meaning, many patterns are uniquely arranged to tell a story.
How do you make raffia cloth?
The men first gather the leaves of the raffia tree and then dye it using mud, indigo or substances from the camwood tree. They then rub the raffia fibers in their hands to soften it and make it easier for weaving. After they've completed the base cloth the woman embroider it.
Where do Kuba cloths come from?
Kuba cloths originated in the 17th century in the Kuba kingdom of central Africa, in modern-day Democratic Republic of the Congo, formerly Zaire. They are unique for their elaboration and complexity of design and surface decoration.
What is Kuba made out of?
raffia palm leavesKuba cloth is woven from the strands of raffia palm leaves. The process of transforming the leaves into cloth is a time consuming one: a single placemat, for example, can take up to several days!
What are 3 types of finished Kuba cloth?
Three types of finished costume components are produced from the woven units: women's skirts, women's overskirts and men's skirts. The finished cloths are worn during ceremonial events, primarily of a funerary nature.
What is Kenyan Kuba cloth?
The Kuba are renowned for their raffia embroidered textiles, fiber, beaded hats, carved palm wine cups, and cosmetic boxes. They are most known for their monumental helmet masks, featuring exquisite geometric patterns, stunning fabrics, seeds, beads, and shells.
How is Kuba raffia cloth made?
Kuba cloth is made from the leaf of the raffia tree or palm, which is cut into strips and woven together to create the fabric. Each sub-group of the Kuba people have their own unique way of preparing and weaving the fabric, with some opting for different weave lengths and thicknesses.
What is Kuba cloth used for?
Traditionally woven to use as a wraparound skirt during ritual festivals and performances, the main material used in the construction of the cloth is a fiber extracted from the raffia palm.
How do you clean Kuba cloths?
Fill a basin with cool water and a mild detergent. Place the fabric in the water and soak for a few minutes then swish in the water a few times. Any scrubbing must be very gentle and from the back side of the fabric. Rinse the fabric in cool water and pat with a clean towel or cloth to remove excess moisture.
What is Kuba design?
Kuba textiles are elaborate embroidered cloth made of raffia (palm leaf) fiber, from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. They are unique in their elaboration and complexity of design and surface decoration.
How are African textiles made?
The cloth is made by weaving one forty foot or more four-inch band of cloth. This long piece is then taken to a tailor who cuts it into pieces, sews it together, and sometimes hand-embroiders it. Traditionally, Aso oke was woven from cotton and imported or domestic silk.
What is kente cloth made of?
Historically, when kente was used solely for royal courts or prestigious occasions, the strips were made of silk; today you'll also find kente made of cotton or rayon blends. While weaving kente is traditionally men's work, it is common to see both men and women donning these beautiful, wearable artworks.
What is an adire cloth?
Adire (Yoruba: tie and dye) textile is the indigo-dyed cloth made in southwestern Nigeria by Yoruba women, using a variety of resist-dyeing techniques.
Where was raffia cloth invented?
central AfricaThis fabric was developed in the Kuba kingdom of central Africa, which is now situated in the Democratic Republic of Congo. This type of clothing was considered the clothing for the elite class.
What is Kuba design?
Kuba textiles are elaborate embroidered cloth made of raffia (palm leaf) fiber, from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. They are unique in their elaboration and complexity of design and surface decoration.
How are African textiles made?
The cloth is made by weaving one forty foot or more four-inch band of cloth. This long piece is then taken to a tailor who cuts it into pieces, sews it together, and sometimes hand-embroiders it. Traditionally, Aso oke was woven from cotton and imported or domestic silk.
What is the name of Congolese cloth and what clothes are made from it?
Traditionally Congolese clothing is centred on the wearing of colourful materials referred to as 'Liputa'. These types of fabrics are worn by both men and women, and can more often than not be found at the local market.
Where was raffia cloth invented?
central AfricaThis fabric was developed in the Kuba kingdom of central Africa, which is now situated in the Democratic Republic of Congo. This type of clothing was considered the clothing for the elite class.
Where is Kuba cloth made?
Kuba cloth is the traditional fabric made by the Kuba people of central Africa ( more specifically, what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo). From the 17th century to the 19th century, the Kuba people flourished as part of the Kuba Kingdom, which was founded around 1625 under the leadership of Shyaam a-Mbul.
What is Kuba cloth?
Boasting warm hues and striking patterns, Kuba cloth is the traditional fabric made by the Kuba people of central Africa. Boasting warm hues and striking patterns, Kuba cloth brings to mind the sunbaked landscapes of the African continent.
What is the significance of Kuba cloth?
Like many traditional textiles, Kuba cloth holds both practical and symbolic significance. It was used every day in the form of clothing and sleeping mats. It also had special ceremonial uses, and in some instances, was even exchanged as currency.
How long does it take to make a placemat?
The process of transforming the leaves into cloth is a time consuming one: a single placemat, for example, can take up to several days! While many cultures traditionally consider textile-making to be a woman’s job, the Kuba people divide the process between men and women.
Is Kuba a sovereign country?
Though the Kuba Kingdom is no longer recognized as a sovereign political entity, its traditions and artistic heritage remain strong. The Kuba people and other Bantu-speaking groups still fashion beautiful textiles using both traditional and modern techniques.
Where did the Kuba cloth originate?
This style originated in the 17th century in the Kuba kingdom of central Africa, in modern-day Democratic Republic of Congo. Traditionally woven using raffia palm fibers, Kuba cloths range in size and shape and are renowned as a significant art tradition from this part of the world.
What is a Kuba cloth?
Whether worn as a skirt or hanging on a museum wall, Kuba cloth is usually identified by bold, graphic black patterns that suggest movement. The textile often prominently features both repeated themes and irregularities between sections, which remind you that an artist’s hand crafted each stitch. This style originated in the 17th century in ...
How did the Kingdom of Kuba gain its wealth?
The kingdom gained wealth by controlling the ivory and rubber trades, and commissioning artists for sculpture, basketry, and textiles became an important signal of the region’s prosperity. One primary cultural export from this bustling society is the Kuba cloth, which is borne of a time-intensive process involving multiple people.
Why was the Kuba kingdom able to resist colonization for longer than many of its neighbors?
The Kuba kingdom was able to resist colonization for longer than many of its neighbors because it was so highly developed , but as Belgium advanced on the region, Kuba cloths were highly sought after and were featured in the earliest major exhibitions of African art in Europe in the late 1800s.
What is Kuba cloth?
Kuba Cloth. Kuba textiles have been designed and handcrafted by the Kuba ethnic group of the Democratic Republic of the Congo for hundreds of years; the skill of the craft being passed on from generation to generation and the cloth is still produced today. Weaving is of paramount importance to the Kuba peoples, ...
How long is a Kuba cloth?
Kuba cloth, raffia stitching and bobbles. Some of these cloths are up to 20 feet long and others are 2 foot square rectangles to be hung behind royal thrones, draped over altars and can be used as sleeping mats. Kuba ceremonial overskirt, NY Times.
What is a Kuba throw?
The blanket throw is a printed design using kuba cloth as its source, graphic in its interpretation but authentic in its coloring.
What loom is used for Kuba cloth?
It requires great skill and physical stamina, always working above your head. Weaving kuba cloth from raffia on 45 degree loom. There are 2 major types of Kuba cloth in terms of production, all using raffia palm.
What was the Kuba kingdom known for?
After migrating south in the 16th Century and between the 17th and 20th Centuries, the Kuba kingdom, (also known as the Kingdom of the Bakuba or Bushongo), was one of the most extended and powerful societies in Africa, trading in ivory and rubber in the southeast area of what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
What is the color of Kuba?
and white from kaolin, a mineral. Bright colors (like the blue in the cloth here) will be derived from synthetic sources.
How many ethnic groups are there in Kuba?
The elaborateness of Kuba cloth can be used to trace the rise and decline of the kingdom but even today, nineteen different ethnic groups still exist and are presided over by the reigning monarch (nyim), Kot-a-Mbweeky III who has been on the throne since 1968.
What is the style of Kuba cloth?
Style #08. Kuba cloth is just starting to become popular in the United States. Using the leaf of the raffia tree, the Kuba people of the Congo first hand cut, and then weave the strips of leaf to make pieces of fabric, often called raffia cloth.
Why are patches used in Kuba cloth?
When kuba cloth originated there were probably no patches used, but as the cloth is brittle it is quite likely that the patches were used to repair the frequent tears.
What is raffia cloth?
Using the leaf of the raffia tree, the Kuba people of the Congo first hand cut, and then weave the strips of leaf to make pieces of fabric, often called raffia cloth. **SELECTING OS (overstock) means you will get a random piece. There is no guarantee which piece you will get when selecting OS. There are several different sub groups ...
How to dye raffia?
The men first gather the leaves of the raffia tree and then dye it using mud, indigo or substances from the camwood tree. They then rub the raffia fibers in their hands to soften it and make it easier for weaving. After they've completed the base cloth the woman embroider it.
What is Kuba textile?
Kuba textiles are unique in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, formerly Zaire, for their elaboration and complexity of design and surface decoration. Most textiles are a variation on rectangular or square pieces of woven palm leaf fiber enhanced by geometric designs executed in linear embroidery and other stitches, ...
What did the Kuba women wear?
The wraparound skirt was secured with a belt and worn over a typically monochrome red or white embroidered skirt.
What is a Bakuba woman?
A Bakuba woman embroidering a textile. Among the Bakuba it is the men who do the weaving, and the women do the embroidery and applique' work to their textiles. Kuba textiles are unique in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, formerly Zaire, for their elaboration and complexity of design and surface decoration.
What is the purpose of palm oil in the Kuba?
When mixed with palm oil, it creates a pomade that is applied to the face, hair and body in a ritual context. According to oral tradition, the Pende were responsible for teaching the Kuba how to weave textiles; the Pende used twool to die their prestige clothes for death rituals.
What does the Kuba embroidery represent?
According to art historian Vanessa Drake Moraga, "That Kuba embroiderers represented textile structures in their compositions underscores both the value of weaving to the culture and the prestige attached to women art.".
Why were the Bushong cloths called "Bambala"?
According to Joseph Cornet, these cloths were embroidered by Bushong women who were pregnant with the King's heirs for use in rituals surrounding the birth of the children. They were also used as funerary regalia for noble women.
What is the character of Kuba?
The character of Kuba design accords with Robert Thompson 's observation that some African music and art forms are enlivened by off-beat phrasing of accents, by breaking the expected continuum of surface, by staggering and suspending the pattern.
What is Kuba textile?
Kuba textiles. Summary. Kuba textiles are elaborate embroidered cloth made of raffia (palm leaf) fiber, from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. They are unique in their elaboration and complexity of design and surface decoration. Most textiles are a variation on rectangular or square pieces of woven raffia fiber enhanced by geometric designs ...
What is the stitching used in Kuba?
Embroidered Kuba textiles use a combination of cut-pile and flat stitches. Cut-pile (plush) stitching creates a velvet appearance. Basic flat stitches such as chain, stem and buttonhole stitches are used.
What is raffia fabric?
Most textiles are a variation on rectangular or square pieces of woven raffia fiber enhanced by geometric designs executed in linear embroidery in flat-stitch and cut-pile stitching, the latter creating surfaces resembling velvet.
What is the Kuba cloth?
The Kuba people historically used the cloth as wrappers, skirts, sleeping mats, in marriage negotiations and even currency. The elite also used the Kuba cloth as a status symbol and a means to assert themselves in a changing world. Ivory made the Kuba kings considerably wealthy, a fact they chose to broadcast through their bespoke ceremonial wardrobes. When Shyaam took power, he did away with the patrilineal succession. In his government, the elected Bushongo king was responsible to a parliament consisting of official representatives of each Kuba ethnicity.
What kingdoms were able to keep textiles to themselves?
For centuries, the Kuba kingdom were able to keep the textiles to themselves. Under Belgian rule, just before the turn of the 20 th century, the Kuba kings gradually allowed trade with Europe. Since then, they have been in demand. From museums and private museums, to the films sets of Frasier and Grey’s Anatomy. Kuba textiles have been exhibited as archetypes of African fine art. It’s also been a muse for artists, such as French painter Henri Matisse. He kept some textiles in his studio and often stared at them awaiting inspiration from the instinctive geometry.
