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Source Description
Among the Lega people of the eastern Democratric Republic of Congo, headgear was an important indicator of social position. Certain caps, headbands, and headdresses were the exclusive prerogative of the Bwami men's association. This headdress, called <em>sawamazembe</em>, was worn only by high-ranking members of this group. The hat's wig-like form represents a woman's coiffure, illustrating the blurring of gender distinctions among high-ranking Bwami members. The shell ornaments on the front suggest the moon, while buttons and a seed pod provide additional embellishment.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
159002
label
Man's Bwami Prestige Cap (sawamazembe)
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
159002
contentType
object
title
Man's Bwami Prestige Cap (sawamazembe)
description
Among the Lega people of the eastern Democratric Republic of Congo, headgear was an important indicator of social position. Certain caps, headbands, and headdresses were the exclusive prerogative of the Bwami men's association. This headdress, called <em>sawamazembe</em>, was worn only by high-ranking members of this group. The hat's wig-like form represents a woman's coiffure, illustrating the blurring of gender distinctions among high-ranking Bwami members. The shell ornaments on the front suggest the moon, while buttons and a seed pod provide additional embellishment.
date
early to mid-1900s
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q79977955
genreSpecific
Garment
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Overall: 35.8 x 26.7 x 19.2 cm (14 1/8 x 10 1/2 x 7 9/16 in.)
cul
Africa, Central Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo, Lega-style maker
accession
1995.211
Source extras
tec
Plant fiber, seashells, seeds, pods, buttons, and probably cotton
tombstone
Man's Bwami Prestige Cap (sawamazembe), early to mid-1900s. Africa, Central Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo, Lega-style maker. Plant fiber, seashells, seeds, pods, buttons, and probably cotton; overall: 35.8 x 26.7 x 19.2 cm (14 1/8 x 10 1/2 x 7 9/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, John L. Severance Fund, 1995.211
collection
African Art
didYouKnow
This prestige cap combines local organic materials and imported machine-made materials like buttons.
citations
citation
Petridis, Constantine. "Good and Beautiful." <em>Cleveland Art: Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine </em>46, no. 7 (September 2006): 7-11.
page_number
Mentioned and reproduced: p. 9
citation
Rondeau, James, Constantijn Petridis, Yaëlle Biro, Herbert M. Cole, Kassim Kone, Babatunde Lawal, Wilfried Van Damme, and Susan Mullin Vogel. <em>The language of beauty in African art.</em> 2022.
creditline
John L. Severance Fund
updatedAt
2026-05-29 08:13:51.872000
sourceId
159002
dept
African Art
coll
African Art
med
Plant fiber, seashells, seeds, pods, buttons, and probably cotton
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
007be53d424fc0b2