Kuba Rafia Panel #37A

Fine plush Kuba rafia panel measuring about 22.5 x 25 inches
The Kuba people of Zaire weave a wide variety of cloth made from rafia, a natural fiber from palm leaves. The material is stripped into very fine threads, soaked and pounded to make them flexible, and dyed in vegetal or mineral pigments to create a variety of colors. The Kuba employ a variety of weaving and decoration techniques. Cloth of this particular type, employing a single or double panel of plain base material, decorated with embroidery and/or cut pile work, is often called "Kasai velvet", since in the older very fine fabrics the material takes the look of velvet. The edges are often hemmed, though not always, and can be uneven. One source says "These textiles were used as currency, and as ceremonial offerings, in the Kuba Kingdom, which is in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and was formerly Zaire."

This particular piece is a single panel, and measures about 22.5 x 25 inches. I would guess it to be 20-40 years old, and the texture is fine with a plush feel. The pile sections are outlined with false embroidery, another weaving technique in which the Kuba excel. The second image is a closeup of one corner of the fabric.