Bwami society headdress

Lega communities traditionally maintained social order and leadership through the Bwami society, a many-graded system of initiated men and women that teaches members wisdom and moral excellence. Advancement through each level requires the payment of initiation fees in exchange for the revelation of esoteric knowledge through proverbs, performances, and potent objects. Upon completing a level, new initiates receive specific insignia, with hats serving and the most visible markers of members’ status.


This elaborate headdress, with an arched plume of elephant hairs, was associated with the highest male grade of Bwami, lutumbo lwa kindi. The elephant is the largest and most powerful animal known to the Lega, and in Bwami teaching it represents both the society as a whole and the pinnacle of achievement within it. According to one proverb, “Bwami [is like] the stampeding of elephants; the place it has passed cannot be forgotten.” The expression alludes to the deep and enduring impact of Bwami teaching. By crowning his head with an elephant tail tuft, the wearer visually aligns himself with the elephant’s might, endurance, and leadership. The crest conveys that this person has immense spiritual strength and has trampled ignorance underfoot, leaving an unforgettable legacy in the community.


The moral authority of the wearer is further underscored through the extensive material additions to the raffia-fiber base. Seedpods (maseza) entirely cover the surface. The use of this medium to sheath the cap not only provided a beautifully textured surface, but also carried connotations of fertility, growth, and renewal. Strands of glass beads wrap around the elephant hair plume and extend from either side of the edge of the cap, and glass buttons adorn the plaited chinstrap. Bright European trade beads and buttons were prized for their exotic origins and shine. By the late 19th century, Lega artisans expertly incorporated them to enhance a hat’s prestige. The combined effect of these carefully arranged elements carried additional messages of the physical and moral excellence of its wearer. In Bwami philosophy, physical beauty and moral virtue are closely linked. The ordered rows of maseza and balanced arrangement of beads and buttons reflect the refinement expected of a person who has attained Bwami’s highest levels.