Feather Headdress

Description

Fashioned from dyed feathers secured to a raffia-mesh or basketwork cap, feather headdresses from the Grassfields region of Cameroon were worn by palace dancers during celebrations and funerals. The red tail feathers of the African gray parrot were favored for these pieces, although they were later replaced by dyed cockerel feathers. The bird quills were pushed into the crown of a crocheted or basketry hat and then tied or sewed with cotton or raffia thread. This headdress has its own self-storage capacity, as it can be turned inside out, with the feathers protected by the inverted cap.

Provenance

Njoya Ibrahim, Douala, Cameroon, by 2003; sold to Douglas Dawson Gallery, Chicago, Ill., 2003; sold to Donald Young and Shirley Weese Young, Chicago, Ill., 2003; given to the Art Institute, 2015.

Feather Headdress

Bamileke

20th century

Accession Number

229889

Medium

Feathers, fiber, and cotton

Dimensions

42 × 48.3 × 45.8 cm (16 1/2 × 19 × 18 in.)

Classification

headdress - misc

Museum

The Art Institute of Chicago

Chicago, United States

Credit Line

The Art Institute of Chicago, Gift of Donald Young and Shirley Weese Young