Kuba Cloth & Ituma Mats

Kuba cloth is made by the Kuba people of Zaire, formerly the Belgian Congo, who live between the Kasai and Sankuru Rivers in equatorial Africa. They are divided into 18 sub-groups whose unity is due to a common culture and their domination by the Bushong group. Our kuba cloth was made by the Bushong and Shobwa groups. Also referred to as "shoowas" and "Kasai velve,t" these cut-pile cloths are considered to be the true jewels of African textile art. They are made of raffia palm leaves which are woven by the men of the tribe on a single heddle vertical loom. Occasionally the men will decorate the cloth they weave, however, it is only the women who produce the elaborate embroidered cut pile geometric patterns and tight tufting. Pile cloth is a result of an embroidery technique in which the raffia fiber is stitched with a needle under one warp or weft of the base cloth and then trimmed close to the front surface with a small knife. No knots are used in this technique. The cut embroidery stitch creates a rough velvet like appearance (thus ''Kasai Velvet''.) The patterns, which number as many as 200, have been past down for generations and are most often conceptualized and stored in the embroiderer's mind. Flat stem-stitch embroidery is used between pile areas for contrast. It takes approximately one month for a woman to finish a small piece of Kuba cloth.. They are then sewn together for ceremonial dress, primarily of a funerary nature. They are wrapped around the waist, layer over layer, to make a voluminous skirt. Historically the cloths were actually traded as currency and were the standard by which a family's wealth and status were judged. As a sign of status and to provide for the afterlife, they were buried with kings or those fortunate enough to own many. Pieces of exceptional quality and historical value can be found in African art and textile museums around the world, including in the United States. Although kuba cloth has been produced for centuries, it is rare to find one dating back more than 100 years, due to the humid equatorial climate of Central Africa. We have made decorative pillows out of some of our kuba cloths and they are dynamite accent pieces! We also use them as table mats under our Shona wildlife leadwood carvings.

Please come again soon! We will have photos of our Kuba Cloth any day now.

Home | About Us | Coffee & Tea | Menus | Computers | Events & Headlines | Artwork | Links | Contact Us