Hat (laket)
Unknown Artist
early 1900s
Medium
Raffia and dye
Dimensions
pin: l. 21.6 cm · width at bottom: 11.4 × 15.9 cm
Classification
Garment
Department
African Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Educational Purchase Fund
Accession Number
1915.467
Rights
Public Domain
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 nine-and-a-half-inch metal pin that pierces through the hat onto a clump of hair. This laket is made from raffia palm fiber coiled into threads and wo...