Hat (laket)
Unknown Artist
early 1900s
Medium
Raffia and dye
Dimensions
pin: l. 21.6 cm · width at bottom: 11.4 × 15.9 cm
Classification
Garment
Department
African Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Educational Purchase Fund
Accession Number
1915.467
About this artwork
Titled Kuba men and prominent women wear the laket, a small ornate dome-shaped hat. An essential fashion item of adult men in good social standing, it focuses special attention on the head as a significant marker of individual identity, ethnic affiliation, status, and role in society. This prestige object is secured on the crown of the head with a nine-and-a-half-inch metal pin that pierces through the hat onto a clump of hair. This laket is made from raffia palm fiber coiled into threads and wo...