Kuba Laket Prestige Cap

This petite cone-shaped cap, known as laket, was created by an artisan of the Kuba peoples of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The base is made of a simple woven raffia fabric, which was then embellished with a pattern of cowrie shells. Secured to the head by a metal pin, such caps were worn to signal one's personal and cultural status within Kuba political hierarchies. Conical lakets such as this were typically worn by title-holding men, and expensive cowrie shells signal a high-ranking title. We've set this intricately-crafted cap on a custom steel mount to elevate it as a fantastic sculptural object.