Headdress

Description

Hundreds of red tail feathers from the grey parrot (Psittacus erithacus) decorate this disk-shaped headdress. Only the king, some high-ranking individuals, and members of the all-male elephant society—known in different languages as Kuosi, Nekang, or Kem-ndze—wore this prestigious headgear at ceremonies and funerals. Typically, the headdress was worn pushed slightly back from the hairline. When used by members of the elephant society, it was accompanied by a cloth and glass bead mask (mbap mteng) in the shape of that animal, such as 1985.1082.

Provenance

(Jacques Hautelet, La Jolla, CA, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art) (2007); The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (2007-)

Headdress

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1900s

Accession Number

2007.181

Medium

African gray parrot feathers, wood, plant fiber, probably cotton, string, and colorant

Dimensions

Diameter: 90 cm (35 7/16 in.)

Classification

Garment

Museum

The Cleveland Museum of Art

Cleveland, United States

Credit Line

Sundry Purchase Fund