Lega peoples, Republic of the Congo,
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Plant fiber, cowrie shells, elephant hair
96-4-1, museum purchase
The Lega live in the rain forests of the eastern Congo region. They comprise numerous subgroups who are collectively linked to one another through bwami, an adult association that serves as Lega society's political, social, economic, religious and moral authority.
Bwami is divided into a hierarchy of five grades for men and three for women. At each level members of that and higher grades school candidates in the knowledge and wisdom appropriate for that particular level. At the close of initiation, new members are presented with their insignias, including hats. 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.
Buttons, which began to replace cowrie shells in the 1940s, cover the hats worn by women who reach the highest level of bwami. Such a hat is worn on special occasions and as part of her everyday attire.