Ntshakiswepy / ntshak, textile - Raphia - Cuba - DR Congo

Ceremonial wrap skirt of the Kuba Bushongo worn by women during festivities and ceremonies. These textiles were used as a wrap skirt; as a prestige object and as the most important part of the dowry. Ntchaks are made of raffia from the raffia palm tree, a tough and hard to process material which needs to be kept wet for weeks, after which it is kneaded to make the threads supple. This long process and the weaving is done by the men, the embroidery and other decoration is done by the women. The process of making a Ntchak of this size could take months! Dimensions of the textile: 560 x 85 cm Origin: family from Literature: Art Royal Kuba - Joseph Cornet . f. s. c. Registered shipping with track and trace.