Hat (laket mishiing) with Pin
Unknown Artist
early 1900s
Medium
Raffia, metal, and dye
Dimensions
pin: l. 17.8 cm · width at bottom: 12.1 × 12.7 cm
Classification
Garment
Department
African Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Educational Purchase Fund
Accession Number
1915.468
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. The laket is made from raffia palm fiber coiled into threads and wov...