Cleveland Museum of Art

Pin for a Hat

Date

early 1900s

Medium

Metal

Culture

Africa, Central Africa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kuba-style maker

Department

African Art

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

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 large metal pin like this example that pierces through the hat onto a section of hair.

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