Exhibition Guide

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Men’s Headdress (Etimat)

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    Imitating a Banned Hairstyle

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Art Object Info

Karamojong men wore elaborate coiffures sculpted with clay into geometric forms until the 1950s, when some men chose to create less cumbersome removable wigs instead. This removable wig allowed elder men to wear a graceful and elaborate coiffure only on special occasions.

The sweeping lines carved into the clay echo the row of feathers above, while the stripe of dark blue and orange paint in the center creates a point of contrast. The feathers, secured by tightly woven copper coils embedded into the clay, announce the wearer’s accomplishments. In 1971, the Ugandan dictator Idi Amin outlawed traditional Karamojong hairstyles, making a removable headdress a matter of necessity instead of a mere shift in fashion.

 

Medium:
Hair, dry mud, pigment, feathers, fiber, metal, glass beads
Size:
H: 13'
W: 8.5'
D: 11'
Date:
1950s–1980s
Gift of Jonathan and Ellen Maltz, Brookeville, Maryland BMA 2013.323

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Art Object Info

Karamojong men wore elaborate coiffures sculpted with clay into geometric forms until the 1950s, when some men chose to create less cumbersome removable wigs instead. This removable wig allowed elder men to wear a graceful and elaborate coiffure only on special occasions.

The sweeping lines carved into the clay echo the row of feathers above, while the stripe of dark blue and orange paint in the center creates a point of contrast. The feathers, secured by tightly woven copper coils embedded into the clay, announce the wearer’s accomplishments. In 1971, the Ugandan dictator Idi Amin outlawed traditional Karamojong hairstyles, making a removable headdress a matter of necessity instead of a mere shift in fashion.

 

Medium:
Hair, dry mud, pigment, feathers, fiber, metal, glass beads
Size:
L: 11'
W: 8.5'
H: 13'
Date:
1950s–1980s
Gift of Jonathan and Ellen Maltz, Brookeville, Maryland BMA 2013.323