A well-preserved example of a hat for women of the Lega people from the Republic of Congo. An evenly round-shaped hat with sewn-on buttons on the top of the basket and hair of an elephant attached to the top at the highest point. The chin strap is similarly decorated with buttons.

The Lega live in the rainforests of the eastern Congo region. They consist of numerous subgroups linked by the Bwami, an adult association that serves as the political, social, economic, religious and moral authority of Lega society. Bwami is divided into a hierarchy with five levels for men and three for women. At each level, members of these and higher levels train candidates in the knowledge and wisdom appropriate to that level. At the conclusion of initiation, new members receive their badges, including hats. Hats decorated with cowrie shells and elephant tails were probably worn by men who reached the highest level of bwami, the Kindi. The hat could be worn as part of everyday attire or on special occasions. The materials from which a hat is made, as well as the items attached to it, indicate a Bwami member's position within the association. Cowrie shells, for example, which used to be used as currency, represent wealth. The tail of an elephant symbolises the animal's great strength. In certain kindi rituals, the wife of an initiate may wear his hat while wearing her own. Buttons, which began to replace cowrie shells in the 1940s, cover the hats of women who reach the highest level of bwami. A woman wears such a hat on special occasions and as part of her everyday attire.


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Height: 17 cm
Weight: 410 g