Minneapolis Institute of Art

Headrest

Yaka artist; or Songo artist

Date

19th century

Medium

Wood

Culture

Yaka or Songo

Department

Arts of Global Africa

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

Historically, headrests were a powerful piece of property in Yaka and Songo societies because of the spiritual energy they conveyed to the user during sleep. Unlike other cultures where headrests were passed down through a family as an heirloom, the Yaka and Songo viewed their headrests as personal property. Male authority figures and matriarchal heads primarily used them to denote status in society. Because their cultural values have changed, modern Yaka and Songo societies no longer use headrests. Yaka or Songo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Africa

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