Old Fine Kirdi Beaded Cache Sexe – PIKURAN – Cameroon

Glass beads, cowrie shells. Without fringes: approx. 15.5 cm high × 42.0 cm wide (6.10″ × 16.54″).

A cache-sexe, or pikuran, from the Kirdi peoples of Cameroon. The term Kirdi—Arabic for “non-Muslim”—is applied to various animist ethnic groups of Sudanese origin living in northern Cameroon, such as the Mafa, Massa, Kapsiki and Mundang.

These garments were worn during celebrations, rituals, and rites of passage by young women who had reached puberty, both as protection against the evil eye and as an adornment meant to attract attention. During harvest dances, these distinctive ornaments were prominently displayed, hanging from a belt worn by the women. Although the Cameroonian government officially banned the use of cache-sexe in 1961, the practice has persisted discreetly beneath robes.

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