Kuba textiles are made of raffia fiber.
The foundation cloth is a plain weave, woven by men on an inclined loom,
The Fibers are softened before weaving by rubbing and, after, by kneading and beating the cloth.
The embroidery thread is also raffia, which is dyed before stitching.
The embroidery process is done by women. Typically, neither the weft nor the plush is secured with knots.
This piece of raffia cloth is typical of that made by the Shoowa, a Kuba group that lives south of the Sankuru River, it is woven in a style common from 1978 to the late 1980s.
In cloth made for their own use, the Shoowa employed an overall balanced pattern, a deep plush and even lines.