Mae Festa 50 Years of Collecting Textiles - Peter Pap Oriental Rugs

AFRICA – Sub-Sahara
Woman’s Miniature Ceremonial
Overskirt (Nchakabween)
(above)
Late 19 th Century
Bushong Ethnic Group, Kuba Kingdom,
Democratic Republic of Congo
Raffia palm leaf cloth (woven by men),
embellished with two kinds of embroidery,
a running stitch of sorts, and pile, augmented
by red dye (tukula powder), obtained from
the camwood tree.
56 x 23 cm 22 x 9 in
Full-sized overskirts of this type were reserved for
female members of the Kuba royal family. Miniature
copies, like this piece, are uncommon, and from a
relatively early period. While their precise function is
unknown, like latoon (embroidered squares), they could
have been a sign of wealth. It is structured exactly like
its larger model except that the main border is not
separately made and sewn on, but created by a shift in
the design on the same ground cloth. The outer border is a
characteristic, non-woven attachment found on all of these
skirts. The field features normal Kuba embroidery work
which outlines the pile sections that define the principle
design. The pile is created by bringing the processed raffia
fibre up through the plainwoven ground cloth with a steel
needle. A knife is then run back and forth across the
exposed ends causing them to split, creating the pile.
362
Woman’s Ceremonial Overskirt (Nchak)
Early 20 th Century
Showa Ethnic Group, Kuba Kingdom,
Democratic Republic of Congo
Raffia palm leaf ground cloth (always woven
by men), embellished with two kinds of
embroidery, a running stitch of sorts, and pile,
the pile fibre died black.
122 x 56 cm 48 x 22 in
Nchak is the global term for all women’s skirts
among the Kuba. Each specific type would have its
own name, but these are best known for royal skirts.
This skirt would have been worn horizontally around
the waist in order to secure a much longer underskirt,
which was wrapped around the body diagonally from
breast height down to below the knees. The whole
ensemble was held together with a belt. Like the
miniature Bushong skirt, this example is created
from one ground cloth made by joining two panels of
plainweave material (the length of raffia palm leaves
limits the lengths of individual panels). This is then
traditionally worked by a woman. Its dramatic,
dynamic, and modulated design is characteristic
of Showa work.