Subject: nobleman as iyol warrior
Culture: Bushoong, Konda
Setting: Kuba kingdom, central Africa 19thc
Evolution:
Context (Event Photos, Primary Sources, Secondary Sources, Field Notes)
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Hat
* Cleveland Museum of Art online (describing a hat [laket], early 1900s)
"Titled Kuba men and prominent women wear the laket, a small ornate dome-shaped hat. An essential fashion item of adult men in good social standing, it focuses special attention on the head as a significant marker of individual identity, ethnic affiliation, status, and role in society. This prestige object is secured on the crown of the head with a nine-and-a-half-inch metal pin that pierces through the hat onto a clump of hair. The laket is made from raffia palm fiber coiled into threads and woven in two alternating patterns and contrasting light and dark (dyed) wefts. There are two examples of the laket: the plain type with the flat top, and the more elaborate type called the laket mishiing."
* Lam Museum of Anthropology online (describing a Kuba hat)
"After the completion of initiation rites, many Kuba men wear a simple cap on the crown of their head known as a laket. Lakets are woven from raffia fiber in a circular shape with four lobes along the bottom edge. The laket serves as a symbol of cultural identity and is an important accessory for ritual occasions like funerals or initiations. This hat is distinguished from a basic laket by the four large rounded tufts of raffia on each lobe and the addition of feathers. Hats like this one are one part of the extensive regalia worn by titled Kuba soldiers known as iyol.
"Feathers are an important part of many Kuba hats and headdresses because the type of feather is connected to the title or rank of the person wearing it. The highest-ranking men wear eagle feathers, as they are the most powerful bird in the daytime sky. Although we do not know what type of feathers these are, some soldiers are allowed to wear eagle feathers, but they must wear them horizontally ... rather than standing vertically."
* Metropolitan Museum of Art online (describing a prestige hat [laket mishiing], Kuba peoples 19-20 century)
"Splendidly decorated caps were one type of item that indicated Kuba male social standing. Men received small raffia hats, called laket mishiing, upon completion of an initiation process that signaled their transformation into mature members of Kuba society. As they moved up the social ladder and occupied positions requiring greater experience and responsibility, their headgear continuously changed to reflect their accomplishments. Nearly all hats were based upon a type of simple domed cap worn on the crown of the head and held in place with a metal pin. Materials such as beads, shells, metal ornaments, feathers, and animal hair were affixed to this structure depending on the nature and extent of the wearer's achievements."
"[T]itled soldiers known as iyol ... have earned the exclusive right to wear pompoms on their hats. ....
"[....] The simple four-lobed laket hat is the most common type of headwear among adult Kuba men, adopted after completion of initiation rites. Typically the hats have only small amounts of embroidery or openwork designs. Further embellishments such as raffia pompoms, cowrie shells, beads, animal skins, or feathers ... are added to this basic form as additional titles or honors are conferred."
Cloth
* Fashion, costume, and culture 2004 v2 p425
"In the present-day nation of the Democratic Republic of the Congo the Kuba people weave a decorative cloth called Kuba cloth. Although this tradition is believed to be ancient, the oldest surviving examples of the cloth are dated back to the seventeenth century. Men weave the fabric out of raffia fibers, from a palm plant, and women apply colorful tufts in bold geometric designs. An entire social group is involved in the production of the cloth, from gathering the fibers, weaving the cloth, dyeing the decorative strands, to applying the embroidery, appliqué, or patchwork. Natural dyes were traditionally used, but man-made dyes are now used.
"The embroidery on Kuba designs are stitched to the cloth and snipped to make a dense pile. There are hundreds of designs for Kuba cloth that have been handed down through the generations. However, each design can be embellished by the individual weaver. Appliqués are pieces of raffia cloth embroidered over the top of the base cloth. Patchwork involves stitching together smaller pieces of raffia cloth to create a whole garment. Appliqué and patchwork designs may have been created as a decorative method for patching holes."
Jewelry
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Knife
* Geary/Xatart 2007 p173
"Kuba short swords (ikul) appeal to collectors for the engraved lines on their copper alloy blades, finely inlaid brass on their wooden handles, and their connection to Kuba royalty. A sword with an iron blade, a wooden handle, and a sheath covered with European brass furniture tacks comes from the Ekonda peoples in the central DRC and demonstrates how successfully African artists integrated foreign media into their designs. Like buttons, beads, and other imports from Europe, these rare tacks adorned prestigious objects, indicating the owners' importance in society."
* Capwell 2009 p210 (describing a Konda shortsword, mid-19th century)
"This handsome knife was produced by the Konda of Haute-Zaire. Although its general shape commends it to close fighting, there is no doubt that in peaceful times it would have doubled as a particularly useful general-purpose knife."
* Pitt Rivers Museum online > Iron headed spear (1919.28.9)
"Kuba men usually travelled armed with knives" ...
* Pitt Rivers Museum online > Ikul (1907.21.25)
"All adult Kuba men carried the ikul in historical times. As occurred in many other cultures, the sword served as a symbol of adult masculinity. The Kuba are notable for their skills in blacksmithing and the importance in which they hold the community's blacksmith. Smithing was (alongside weaving and a select few other arts) considered a royal art. This explains why the bearing of arms was regarded by the Kuba not only as a cultural symbol of class, manhood and warriorhood, but also of kingship.
"There are certain kinds of ikul (those bearing a conical pommel) which were first designed and created by King Shyaam aMbul aNgoong in the early 17th century, and which are exclusively carried by those Kuba of the ruling Bushoong clan as a symbol of peaceful reign. That a weapon should serve as a symbol of peace may seem confusing, but this accurately reflects the fact that peace can often only be guaranteed by a government possessing effective military force."
Comb
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Belt
* Art Institute of Chicago online (describving a belt [yeemy mambolmashet], 19th century Kuba)
"In the Kuba Kingdom, ceremonial occasions require ostentatious displays of wealth and status through dress and other attributes. Specialized male artists excel in the making of beaded regalia like the belt displayed here. They sew both beads and shells onto a woven raffia foundation to create geometric designs. The interlaced pattern on this belt, called imbol, is a favorite Kuba motif that can also be seen on the raffia skirts worn with such beaded ornaments."
