Global Views

Sankuru Vases

The crisp and elegant geometric patterns describing these tubular vases take their inspiration from woven and appliquéd raffia cloths made by the Kuba people of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

To make the cloths: the Kuba men gather the leaves of the raffia palm and work them until they separate into individual fibers soft enough to weave into square cloths. The women then appliqué the larger cloth with cut and sewn pieces of the finished palm fiber cloths. The tumbling and seemingly random design created by the appliquéd pieces represent the rhythms and stories of the Kuba people's lives and environment.