Object Details
- Label Text
- For centuries, raffia textiles were used as clothing in much of central Africa, where they were worn as wrappers of varying size and complexity. The textiles were also associated with wealth for, in the past, raffia squares served as an important currency in the region. and raffia textiles figured into annual tributes, marital contracts, legal settlements and funeral rites (Darish 1989: 127-129).
- Pende textiles--although far less common and much less studied than well known Kuba textiles--likely functioned in similar contexts. The cloth’s red coloration is made from a dye derived from the wood of a particular tropical tree (Pterocarpus sp.). The powdered colorant, often referred to as tukula or camwood, was mixed with oil and applied to embellish the human body--as the Pende were known to do--or to imbue a container with the protective qualities associated with the substance (Moraga 2011: 62).
- Description
- Two-panel fringed woven raffia-fiber textile of reddish-orange coloration and decorated with a repeat triangular design motif.
- Provenance
- The Dominican Sisters of Namur Mission in the Congo, before 1950
- Pierre Loos, Brussels
- Content Statement
- As part of our commitment to accessibility and transparency, the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art is placing its collection records online. Please note that some records are incomplete (missing image or content descriptions) and others reflect out-of-date language or systems of thought regarding how to engage with and discuss cultural heritage and the specifics of individual artworks. If you see content requiring immediate action, we will do our best to address it in a timely manner. Please email nmafacuratorial@si.edu if you have any questions.
- Image Requests
- High resolution digital images are not available for some objects. For publication quality photography and permissions, please contact the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives at https://africa.si.edu/research/eliot-elisofon-photographic-archives/
- Data Source
- National Museum of African Art
- Maker
- Pende artist
- Date
- Late 19th-early 20th century
- Credit Line
- Museum purchase
- Medium
- Raffia palm fiber, Pterocarpus redwood dye
- Dimensions
- H x W (with fringe): 144.8 x 86.4 cm (57 x 34 in.)
- Type
- Textile and Fiber Arts
