Shoowa Cloth from the Congo

Using the leaves of the raffia tree, the Kuba people of the Congo first hand cut, and then weave the strips of leaf to make pieces of fabric, called raffia cloth. Each patch is symbolic and many times a piece has many different meanings. When Kuba cloth originated there were probably no patches used, but later each patch developed a meaning, many patterns are uniquely arranged to tell a story.

The origin of the Mud Cloth can be traced back to 12th century Mali, a landlocked country in West Africa. Traditionally, the hunters wore the Mud Cloth as ritual protection and as a badge of status, while the women wore the fabric as a wrapper immediately after childbirth as it is believed to have the power to absorb pain and deflect anything harmful or dangerous.