Cleveland Museum of Art

Hat (laket mishiing) with Pin

Date

early 1900s

Medium

Raffia, metal, and dye

Culture

Africa, Central Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo, early 20th century

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 nine-and-a-half-inch metal pin that pierces through the hat onto a clump of hair. The laket is made from raffia palm fiber coiled into threads and woven in two alternating patterns and contrasting light and dark (dyed) wefts. There are two examples of the laket: the plain type with the flat top, and the more elaborate type called the laket mishiing .

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