one piece of wood carved into T-shape; top of 'T' is carved into convex rectangle; an old zipper runs through a hole in the center pole

Headrest, 20th century

Pokotexpand_more

Wood, cloth, metalexpand_more

The Christina N. and Swan J. Turnblad Memorial Fundexpand_more  95.49

Not on Viewexpand_more

When boys are initiated into the Pokot social hierarchy, their headrests are adorned with decorations to commemorate this rite of passage. Headrests in Pokot society, like in many other African cultures, denote one's place in a community by showing status and role. Since the Pokot are nomadic pastoralists who also value elaborate coiffures, they need small, portable headrests to protect their hair. This is one of the few regions where headrests are still used today.

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Details
Title
Headrest
Role
Artist
Accession Number
95.49
Curator Approved

This record has been reviewed by our curatorial staff but may be incomplete. These records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@artsmia.org.

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one piece of wood carved into T-shape; top of 'T' is carved into convex rectangle; an old zipper runs through a hole in the center pole

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