In the West African nation of Togo, traditional chiefs continue to play an important administrative and judicial role in their communities. Likely made by the Bimoba, or Moba, people in the northwest, this village chief’s headdress radiates authority and prestige – and showcases local basketry skill.
The hat is powerful in its simplicity. A helmet-shaped basket, woven from plant materials in a sewed coiling technique, is topped with a strip of animal fur to emphasize the curve and crest of the head. Animal embellishments are common in head coverings of power and status: Horns, teeth, claws, feathers and fur imbue the wearer with the animal’s symbolic, spiritual and physical attributes.
This hat also reflects global cultural mobility. Between the 16th and 18th centuries, Togo was a center for the European-Atlantic slave trade. Enslaved Africans who were forcibly transported to the southern United States brought this basketry technique with them. Today we celebrate the similar craft of sweetgrass baskets made by their descendants.
Researched by Capie Polk Baily
Capie Polk Baily joined the museum as a docent in 2006, thereafter taking leave for diplomatic assignments in Senegal, Jamaica, Thailand, Turkey, the Netherlands and North Macedonia. She believes textiles are an exceptional way to understand the world, its people and cultures.