Description

This hat was made by the Lega people (or Warega), a Bantu ethnic group from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The hat is made of plant fiber, cowrie shells, mullosk shells, buttons and elephant hair. In Lega culture, there is an adult association that serves as Lega society's political, social, economic, religious and moral authority known as Bwami. Hats decorated with cowrie shells and elephant tails are probably worn by men who have reached Kindi, the highest level of Bwami. The hat can be worn as part of daily attire or on special occasions. The materials from which a hat is made and the objects attached to it signify a Bwami member's position within the association. Cowrie shells, for example, once used as a form of currency, signify wealth. Elephant's tail is symbolic of the animal's great strength. During certain Kindi rituals, an initiate's wife may wear his hat while carrying her own.