H x W x D: 7.4 x 15.7 x 15.1 cm (2 15/16 x 6 3/16 x 5 15/16 in.)
Type:
Textile and Fiber Arts
Geography:
Northern region, Cameroon
Date:
Mid-20th century
Label Text:
The Kotoko are mainly a fishing people who live in northern Cameroon in fortified towns surrounded by high walls. They are also merchants and they raise livestock. Echoing both the coiffures and hat styles of peoples throughout northern Cameroon, this hat reflects the general preference for the round form derived from gourds. Indeed, the hat also resembles the adorned heads on some ancient figurines made by the Sao peoples, from whom the Kotoko trace their descent. With the predominence of Islam in the area, this style of hat has largely been replaced by Islamic-style caps and headwear.
This hat was made by attaching pierced seed pods to a knotted fiber netting. At the top of the crown, a pre-fabricated metal button was attached to the fiber netting with a wire in a figure-eight pattern. The pods are affixed so densely that the fiber netting is obscured from view.
Description:
A small hemispherical shaped hat made of tiny balls of vegetable matter attached together by fiber.
Provenance:
Jacques Hautelet, La Jolla, California, -- to 1999
Content Statement:
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