The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of March 28, 2024

Man's Bwami Prestige Cap (sawamazembe)

Man's Bwami Prestige Cap (sawamazembe)

early to mid-1900s
Location: not on view

Did You Know?

This prestige cap combines local organic materials and imported machine-made materials like buttons.

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 sawamazembe, 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.
  • until 1995
    Jacques Hautelet, La Jolla, CA
    1995 to present
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH by purchase
  • Rondeau, James, Constantijn Petridis, Yaëlle Biro, Herbert M. Cole, Kassim Kone, Babatunde Lawal, Wilfried Van Damme, and Susan Mullin Vogel. The language of beauty in African art. 2022.
  • The Language of Beauty in African Art. Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth, TX (April 3-July 31, 2022) https://kimbellart.org/exhibition/language-beauty-african-art; The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL (organizer) (November 20, 2022-February 27, 2023) https://www.artic.edu/exhibitions/9344/the-language-of-beauty-in-african-art.
    Standing on Ceremony: Traditional African Arms from the Donna and Robert Jackson Collection and the Cleveland Museum of Art. Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (April 24, 2004-March 15, 2005).
    Western Reserve Historical Society (4/24/2004 - 11/27/2004): 'Standing on Ceremony: Traditional African Arms from the Donna and Robert Jackson Collection and the Cleveland Museum of Art"
  • {{cite web|title=Man's Bwami Prestige Cap (sawamazembe)|url=false|author=|year=early to mid-1900s|access-date=28 March 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1995.211