Kuba and Ntshak Velvet: the textile art of the Kuba Kingdom of the Congo

It looks like velvet, yet it is entirely made from palm leaves. On these earth-toned squares of ochre, brown, black, and ivory, lines cross, break, and continue like a labyrinth. These fabrics come from the Kuba kingdom in the heart of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. They are known as Kasaï velvet, and the long ceremonial skirts worn by Kuba women are called ntshak. They are among Africa's most admired textiles, even in the studios of great European painters.

The Kuba kingdom

The Kuba kingdom formed between the Kasaï and Sankuru rivers in the centre of what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is a confederation of several peoples united around a king, the nyim, who comes from the Bushoong people. Oral tradition attributes its founding in the early 17th century to a legendary king, Shyaam a-Mbul a-Ngoong, who is often portrayed as a civilising hero.

The Kuba court was one of the most refined in Central Africa. Everything was an opportunity for adornment: carved vessels, boxes, masks, headdresses, belts, and especially fabrics. Among the Kuba, the value of an object is measured by the difficulty of its creation: the more patience and skill it required, the more precious it is.

From raffia to velvet: the making process

1. The fiber. The inner part of young raffia palm leaves is harvested. The leaves are sun-dried and then split lengthwise into very fine fibers.
2. The weaving. Shoowa men weave these fibers on a loom to create squares of cloth measuring approximately 50 to 70 cm on each side. Raffia has replaced the beaten bark that was used in the past.
3. The dyeing. The embroidery fibers are dyed with natural pigments: red wood, earth, and bark, which produce these ochres, browns, and blacks.
4. The embroidery. Women pass fine fibers under a weft thread, then cut them flush with the fabric using a small blade. Thousands of small, tightly packed tufts create a surface as soft as velvet. According to tradition, it is ideal to embroider while pregnant.

A single piece can take several months, or even an entire year to complete.

Patterns inspired by scarification

Kuba velvet patterns are never copied from a model. The embroiderer invents them as she works, but they generally follow the designs of the scarification marks worn by the Kuba on their bodies: diamonds, chevrons, interlacing lines, broken lines, and labyrinths.

What is striking is the freedom of the composition. A pattern begins, then suddenly changes scale or direction, stops, and resumes elsewhere. This improvisation is intentional: it demonstrates the embroiderer's skill and makes each piece impossible to reproduce exactly. This is precisely what fascinated modern artists so much.

The ntshak, the women's long skirt

Among the Kuba, fabric is wrapped around the waist. The men's version is called the mapel, and the women's, the ntshak. Ceremonial ntshak are very long skirts made of many panels of raffia sewn end to end, which are wrapped several times around the body. They are adorned with embroidery, appliqué, and borders. They are worn for dances, major festivals, and royal ceremonies.

In the past, women also wore bark wraps, the ishyeen, whose centres were made of cut and sewn black and white triangles. The Kuba preferred this demanding method to simple drawing. Bark belts, the duun, were reserved for certain nobles: they symbolised power.

Currency, gift, and royal throne

Heavy and expensive, Kasaï velvet was rarely worn. It was instead used as a royal throne cover, a bedspread, a prestigious gift, and it even circulated as currency. A family measured its wealth by the fabrics it had accumulated.

At funerals, the deceased is dressed in their finest fabrics, and the family offers others to accompany them. It is said that it is by their attire that the ancestors will recognise them in the afterlife.

The Kuba and modern art

At the beginning of the 20th century, Kuba velvets arrived in Europe. Their free compositions and bold geometries struck artists. Henri Matisse owned several, which he hung on the walls of his studio; he loved to contemplate them, and they inspired his cut-outs. They are often cited alongside Paul Klee and the painters of abstraction, who found in them a freedom of composition they themselves were seeking.

Today, Kuba velvets are featured in the world's greatest museums, and the weavers and embroiderers of Kasaï continue to make them.

How to recognise a Kuba velvet?

• The material: a stiff, slightly shiny raffia cloth, never cotton.
• The texture: the embroidered areas form a low-pile velvet, soft to the touch.
• The colours: ochre, brown, black, ivory, sometimes red or purple.
• The composition: geometric patterns that suddenly change size or direction.
• The format: squares for velvet, long sewn strips for ntshak.

To discover other textiles from Central and West Africa, also read our articles on Cameroonian Ndop fabric and on Dida raffia fabrics from Côte d'Ivoire.

Our tribute to Kuba velvet

At KEMI HOME ART, our Ntshak décor incorporates the ochre and brown labyrinths of Kuba velvet: a band of interlocking patterns on our square plates, a ring inside our mugs. Each pattern is prepared in our workshop in Alfortville, then placed and glazed by hand before firing, made to order.

All our pieces can be personalised: colour, first name, date, or message. Write to us to design your own.

Frequently asked questions about Kuba velvet

What is Kasaï velvet?
A raffia fabric woven by Shoowa men of the Kuba kingdom and embroidered by women with closely cropped tufts, giving it the appearance of velvet.

What is ntshak?
The ceremonial wrap worn by Kuba women, a very long embroidered and appliquéd raffia skirt wrapped several times around the waist.

Where do Kuba fabrics come from?
From Kasaï, in the centre of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, between the Kasaï and Sankuru rivers.

What do Kuba patterns represent?
They are inspired by scarification marks worn on the body: diamonds, interlacing lines, chevrons, labyrinths, freely composed by each embroiderer.

How long does it take to make a piece of Kuba velvet?
From several months to a year for a single piece.

What were these fabrics used for?
To cover the royal throne, adorn festivals, give as gifts, pay, and dress the deceased so that the ancestors would recognise them.

Sources: Wikipedia, Kasaï velvet · University of Michigan Museum of Art