Headdress
Unknown Artist
1900s
Medium
African gray parrot feathers, wood, plant fiber, probably cotton, string, and colorant
Dimensions
diam. 90 cm
Classification
Garment
Department
African Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Sundry Purchase Fund
Accession Number
2007.181
About this artwork
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...