Cowrie shells and arches of glass beads adorn this cap. Both cowrie shells and glass beads were at one time used as currency and their use denotes the status and wealth of the wearer.
Caps of this type were worn by men of standing in the Kuba kingdom. This hat is rather unusual though, the palette, size and arrangement of the glass beads are atypical and it may come from a group near but not in the Kuba Kingdom or it could simply be an anomaly.
