Velours du Kasaï

Traditionally, the weaving is done by men of the Shoowa from the Kuba ethnic group, while the embroidery is reserved to women.

[1][2] Originally, the cloth was made using beaten wood bark; however, since the introduction of raffia, only vestiges of this remain.

The fabric is made of very fine fibre from the inside of the leaves of young palm trees.

The designs are very varied and are created spontaneously but normally follow the body scarification patterns of the Kuba.

The cloth is heavy and expensive and is not normally intended to be worn, but is used as a bed covering or on the royal throne.