Object Details
- Karamojong artist
- Label Text
- Among the pastoral Karamojong of Kenya and eastern Uganda, men wear mudpack coiffures after they are initiated into adulthood. Well-groomed hair is a sign of strength, courage and masculinity. In celebration of their new status, they assume the regalia of young warriors, including an ornamented coiffure that involves packing clay into the hair and forming a chignon at the back of the head. When the clay has dried, it is divided into sections, colored with various ochres, stippled with a tooth comb and decorated with beads or pieces of chain, as is the front of this headdress. This hairstyle generally remains the same throughout a man's adult life. A man can display his status as an elder by adding ostrich plumes through wire coils inserted into the headdress. This wig is representative of those in current use.
- Description
- Mud packed headdress or coiffure with chignon at the back of the head. Pigment and hairs embellish the mud-pack. A crest of black ostrich feathers is accented with a large white feather on either side.
- Provenance
- Michel Hughenin, Paris
- Emile M. and Lin Deletaille, Brussels, -- to 1986
- Exhibition History
- Earth Matters: Land as Material and Metaphor in the Arts of Africa, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., April 22, 2013-February 23, 2014; Bowdoin College Museum of Art, October 15, 2015-March 9, 2016
- TxtStyles: Fashioning Identity, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., June 11-December 7, 2008
- Hats Off! A Salute to African Headwear, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., July 18-December 26, 1999
- Published References
- Milbourne, Karen E. 2013. Earth Matters: Land as Material and Metaphor in the Arts of Africa. New York: The Monacelli Press; Washington, D.C.: National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, p. 27, no. 12.
- National Museum of African Art. 1999. Selected Works from the Collection of the National Museum of African Art. Washington, D.C.: National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, p. 162, no. 118.
- Content Statement
- As part of our commitment to accessibility and transparency, the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art is placing its collection records online. Please note that some records are incomplete (missing image or content descriptions) and others reflect out-of-date language or systems of thought regarding how to engage with and discuss cultural heritage and the specifics of individual artworks. If you see content requiring immediate action, we will do our best to address it in a timely manner. Please email nmafacuratorial@si.edu if you have any questions.
- Image Requests
- High resolution digital images are not available for some objects. For publication quality photography and permissions, please contact the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives at https://africa.si.edu/research/eliot-elisofon-photographic-archives/
- Credit Line
- Gift of Emile and Lin Deletaille
- Mid-late 20th century
- Object number
- 86-8-1
- Restrictions & Rights
- Usage conditions apply
- Type
- Textile and Fiber Arts
- Medium
- Hair, ceramic, ostrich feathers, metal, pigment
- Dimensions
- H x W x D: 35.5 x 70 x 60 cm (14 x 27 9/16 x 23 5/8 in.)
- Geography
- Kenya
- Uganda
- See more items in
- National Museum of African Art Collection
- Object Name
- emedot
- National Museum of African Art
- Topic
- Initiation
- Status
- Adornment
- Male use
- male
- Record ID
- nmafa_86-8-1
- GUID (Link to Original Record)
- http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ys7755e45dd-f40e-4640-8434-ff52d7c57ab7
