Woven Raffia Panel

This woven panel is made from fiber produced from a variety of dwarf banana, which was one of only a few plants indigenous to Madagascar that could be used to produce workable fiber. Stripes, like those seen here, are a common form of decoration on Madagascan textiles, with inventive weavers creating a vast array of patterns and visual effects by changing the width and color of these stripes. The weaver that made this panel also chose to use supplementary weft floats to add colorful geometric designs in its center.