Beaded prestige hat

Domed, bead-covered headdresses are recorded on Nzakara women by the late nineteenth century. In that context, they were worn by the wives of chiefs and other high-ranking women, for whom they served as striking markers of rank and wealth. While the shape loosely adapts a European prototype, the extensive beaded embellishment ties more closely to regional traditions. Glass beads and cowrie shells were imported from the Indian Ocean and served as forms of currency and status markers through much of Central Africa. An emphasis on white beads and cowrie shells is evident in all documented examples of this type, suggesting an importance attached to that hue. However, the meanings attached to the color white have not been recorded.