Beaded Bamiléké royal bonnet - pearl-embroidered Bamiléké royal bonnet - Bamileke - Cameroon (No reserve price)
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Bonnet royal perlé Bamiléké, a Bamileke bead bonnet from Cameroon, a reproduction in glass beads, 47 cm high and 57 cm wide, in good condition and sold without a stand.
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Description from the seller
Royal Bamileké bonnet with leopard on top
Symbol of royalty
In the heart of the Cameroon highlands, in the Bamileke kingdom, you don’t wear this bonnet like a simple hat. You *deserve* it.
What you have there is a *Kuka or notable’s bonnet*, sewn with thousands of tiny glass beads, one by one, by hand. Each red bead is a drop of courage. Each blue bead is the wisdom of the ancestors.
And on top, the lying leopard.
*Why the leopard?*
In Bamileke tradition, the leopard is the animal of the Fon, the King. It is said that the Fon and the leopard are one. The leopard is the only animal that can walk at night in the sacred forest without fear. He is cunning, powerful, but he never kills for nothing.
So, when a warrior, a chief or a notable received this bonnet with the leopard above, it meant:
> "You have the strength of the leopard, but also its restraint. You protect the people, you do not frighten them."
The two wings on the sides, with their concentric circles, are the eyes that see everything. The wearer of this bonnet is supposed to see the past and the future of the village.
This bonnet is never tucked away in a drawer. It is kept in the sacred case, and is taken out only for great ceremonies: the enthronement of a chief, a royal wedding, or to render justice.
Today, it is on a pedestal in your home, but yesterday, it sat on the head of a man whose word could silence an entire assembly.
Royal Bamileké bonnet with leopard on top
Symbol of royalty
In the heart of the Cameroon highlands, in the Bamileke kingdom, you don’t wear this bonnet like a simple hat. You *deserve* it.
What you have there is a *Kuka or notable’s bonnet*, sewn with thousands of tiny glass beads, one by one, by hand. Each red bead is a drop of courage. Each blue bead is the wisdom of the ancestors.
And on top, the lying leopard.
*Why the leopard?*
In Bamileke tradition, the leopard is the animal of the Fon, the King. It is said that the Fon and the leopard are one. The leopard is the only animal that can walk at night in the sacred forest without fear. He is cunning, powerful, but he never kills for nothing.
So, when a warrior, a chief or a notable received this bonnet with the leopard above, it meant:
> "You have the strength of the leopard, but also its restraint. You protect the people, you do not frighten them."
The two wings on the sides, with their concentric circles, are the eyes that see everything. The wearer of this bonnet is supposed to see the past and the future of the village.
This bonnet is never tucked away in a drawer. It is kept in the sacred case, and is taken out only for great ceremonies: the enthronement of a chief, a royal wedding, or to render justice.
Today, it is on a pedestal in your home, but yesterday, it sat on the head of a man whose word could silence an entire assembly.
Details
Indigenous object name
pearl-embroidered Bamiléké royal bonnet
Number of objects
1
Ethnic group/ culture
Bamileke
Country of Origin
Cameroon
Material
pearls
Sold with stand
No
Condition
Good condition
Title of artwork
Beaded Bamiléké royal bonnet
Height
47 cm
Width
57 cm
Authenticity
Reproduction/replica
Sold by
