GENERAL DESCRIPTION
Both male and female diviners among the Tabwa peoples of the Democratic Republic of the Congo wear beaded headdresses with feathers projecting from the top and sides. The colorful bead-embroidered pattern of opposing isosceles triangles draws attention to the diviner's head, which, according to the Tabwa and many other African peoples, is the site of an individual's intelligence, creativity, wisdom, and clairvoyance. The central triangle motif is called "the eye of Kibawa," a spirit who controls the domain of the head. The juxtaposed triangles on either side are said to represent his wives. During the divination ritual, these spirits possess the diviner and empower him or her to heal the client.
Excerpt from
Roslyn A. Walker, African Headwear: Beyond Fashion (Dallas, TX: Dallas Museum of Art, 2011).
NOTES
Exhibition - African Headwear: Beyond Fashion
Catalogue essays
Artist/designers
Cultures
Geography
Process/materials
Historical periods
Individuals
Subject terms
RELATED OBJECTS
PROVENANCE
n.d.: Private collection [1]
1999: Dallas Museum of Art, purchased from Joel Cooner Gallery, Dallas, Texas
Notes:
The main source for this provenance is the Acquisition Proposal in the Collections Records object file (1999.62). Exceptions and other supporting documents are noted.
[1] "Crowning Achievements: African Arts of Dressing the Head," (Los Angeles: Fowler Museum of Cultural History, UCLA, 1995): 103.
AUDIO ASSETS
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WEB RESOURCES
- Art & Life in Africa, University of Iowa Museum of Art~Learn more about the Tabwa peoples.
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Apply to objects where number equals 1999.62
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General Description
Both male and female diviners among the Tabwa peoples of the Democratic Republic of the Congo wear beaded headdresses with feathers projecting from the top and sides. The colorful bead-embroidered pattern of opposing isosceles triangles draws attention to the diviner's head, which, according to the Tabwa and many other African peoples, is the site of an individual's intelligence, creativity, wisdom, and clairvoyance. The central triangle motif is called "the eye of Kibawa," a spirit who controls the domain of the head. The juxtaposed triangles on either side are said to represent his wives. During the divination ritual, these spirits possess the diviner and empower him or her to heal the client.
Excerpt from
Roslyn A. Walker, African Headwear: Beyond Fashion (Dallas, TX: Dallas Museum of Art, 2011).
Fun Facts
Archival Resources
Web Resources
Notes
Exhibition - African Headwear: Beyond Fashion
Catalogue essays
Artist/designers
Cultures
Geography
Process/materials
Historical periods
Individuals
Subject terms
RELATED OBJECTS
PROVENANCE
n.d.: Private collection [1]
1999: Dallas Museum of Art, purchased from Joel Cooner Gallery, Dallas, Texas
Notes:
The main source for this provenance is the Acquisition Proposal in the Collections Records object file (1999.62). Exceptions and other supporting documents are noted.
[1] "Crowning Achievements: African Arts of Dressing the Head," (Los Angeles: Fowler Museum of Cultural History, UCLA, 1995): 103.
AUDIO ASSETS
VIDEO ASSETS
rules
Apply To
Objects
number
Equals
1999.62
source file
object_notes_4_a-0343.xml.nores