Bangwa Raffia Ceremonial Hat, Based

The Grassfields of Cameroon read rank from the head down.

Finely worked headwear signaled it, and titled men wore hats like this one at gatherings and ceremonies. The Bangwa made it in the 20th century, crocheting dark raffia in tight concentric rings around a central knot. A raised, scalloped cord loops in petal-like arcs around the crown. A second wavy band encircles the center. Openwork between them lets light through. A small fiber tassel hangs at one side.

Mounted on a black stand, it reads as a rosette. A very dignified one.