This extraordinary textile was made in the Kuba Kingdom, which is in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo, formerly Zaire. Weaving the raffia fibers into a textile was mostly done by men, however women did the dying and elaborate embroidery. Raffia, which comes from the Raffia Palm Tree, is notoriously difficult to work with. Soaking and pounding were both used to soften the fibers. Each piece took months to make. Matisse was hugely influenced by these textiles, and had a large collection of Kuba Textiles. Follow the link in our bio to shop this amazing textile!! #kuba #textile #Congo #Zaire #fabric #kubakingdom #raffia #handwoven #handmade #antique #matisse #wrapskirt #fashion #style #beautiful #interesting #africa #africanfashion #shop #nyc #unionsquare #beadsofparadise (at Beads of Paradise NYC) https://www.instagram.com/p/CVS7mUZg7Db/?utm_medium=tumblr
