Bwami society headdress

This ceremonial cap was created for an initiated member of Bwami, the central moral and educational institution of the Lega people. Bwami regulates social life through a ranked system of initiation, with each grade marked by distinct objects, materials, and performances. Hats are among the most important insignia of status, worn during initiations and public performances to express advanced accomplishment, moral development, and social status. This example reflects the ceremonial dress associated with senior levels of Bwami and draws on the associated meanings of both natural and trade materials.


The hat is built on a conical raffia base and is completely sheathed in orderly rows of glossy seed pods. In Bwami philosophy, seed pods represent fertility, growth, and the transmission of knowledge. A narrow column of cowrie shells runs front to back across the crown. Once used as currency, cowries were imported to the region from the Indian Ocean and are associated with wealth and access to trade. A pair of miniature warthog tusks adorns the front of the headdress. These tusks allude to strength and tenacity and, in some cases, evoke the character of Kisibula, a disruptive figure in Bwami instruction whose negative example teaches the rejection of destructive behavior. The integration of these materials marks the wearer as a person of advanced insight who has mastered both the virtues and the moral challenges emphasized at higher levels of initiation.