After the completion of initiation rites, many Kuba men wear a simple cap on the crown of their head known as a laket. Serving as a symbol of cultural identity, these small finely woven raffia headdresses exhibit a dome-like form with four lobes along the bottom edge. Held in place with a metal pin attached to the wearer's hair, the laket is an emblem of the adult man and symbol of cultural identity. This laket exhibits a visual interplay between lighter and darker-coloured raffia fibres, from the contrasting striations of the raised dome-shaped cap to the single-thread detail on the scallop-shaped extensions.
Estimated Period: First Half of 20th Century
Ex Private Collection, Belgium
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