Pin for a Hat
Unknown Artist
early 1900s
Medium
Metal
Classification
Garment
Department
African Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Educational Purchase Fund
Accession Number
1915.466.b
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 large metal pin like this example that pierces through the hat onto a section of hair.