Antique Kuba Prestige Cap – Laket Mishiing – DR Congo

Raffia vinifera fibers, bronze. The cap measures 7.5 cm in height (2.95 in.) and 18.0 cm in diameter (7.09 in.). The hairpin measures 16.7 cm in height (6.57 in.).

Traditional raffia prestige hat worn by men of the Kuba people (Democratic Republic of the Congo). It served as an important marker of social status and was closely associated with rites of passage into adulthood.

The Kuba (also known as Bakuba) are a cluster of approximately sixteen Bantu-speaking groups living in south-central Democratic Republic of the Congo, between the Kasai and Sankuru rivers. They cultivate raffia and oil palms, grow maize as a staple and cash crop, and supplement their economy through hunting and fishing. Kuba society is organized into matrilineal lineages forming dispersed clans, unified under a centralized kingdom historically led by the Bushongo group, which emerged around the 17th century. Kuba religious life centers on nature spirits, ancestral spirits, and the revered spirits of former kings.

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