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Bwami Hat for Lutumbo lwa Yananio Level

Arts of Africa

The hats in this case were originally worn by initiates into Bwami, the key social organization of Lega society and patron of its great artistic genres. Bwami is a strictly tiered, hierarchical organization through which initiates advance from one state of knowledge to the next.
CULTURE Lega
MEDIUM Animal hide, animal hair, woven fiber, zipper, buttons, shell, hyrax teeth
DATES early 20th century
DIMENSIONS height: 6 in. (15.2 cm); diam.: 7 in. (17.8 cm)  (show scale)
COLLECTIONS Arts of Africa
ACCESSION NUMBER 1992.136.18
CREDIT LINE Gift of Drs. Noble and Jean Endicott
MUSEUM LOCATION This item is not on view
CAPTION Lega. Bwami Hat for Lutumbo lwa Yananio Level, early 20th century. Animal hide, animal hair, woven fiber, zipper, buttons, shell, hyrax teeth, height: 6 in. (15.2 cm);. Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Drs. Noble and Jean Endicott, 1992.136.18. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 1992.136.18_bw.jpg)
IMAGE overall, 1992.136.18_bw.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph
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RIGHTS STATEMENT Creative Commons-BY
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