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Diviner's Headdress ("Nkaka")

20th century
20th C.
Africa, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Zambia

By (primary)
Artist unknown

Culture/People: Tabwa peoples

Object Type: Costume

Medium: Glass beads, textile, feathers, and civet pelts

Credit Line: Gift of James and Lin Willis

Accession Number: 2003.94

Currently On View

Provenance

Jim Willis (San Francisco), acquired from Pierre Dartevelle (Brussels) “a long time ago.” No specific dates that the donor could remember.

Keywords Click a term to view the records with the same keyword

Tabwa

traditional medicine
Used in the West for sets of health beliefs and practices that developed within the culture of a particular ethnic or geographic group of people, distinct from modern Western medicine; commonly includes herbal and homeopathic remedies, religious or spiritual ritual, and an holistic approach to patients. [February 1996 descriptor added.]

divination
Art or practice of foreseeing future events or obtaining secret knowledge through divine sources, omens, or oracles; it is based on the belief that revelations are offered to humans in extrarational forms of knowledge. CCE [November 1994 alternate term added. January 1992 descriptor added.]

rituals (events)
Practices or patterns of behavior regularly performed in a set, precise manner, for either personal or public purposes. [March 1993 descriptor changed, was 'rituals'; alternate term changed, was 'ritual'; scope note changed.]

headdresses
Elaborate coverings or objects for the head, especially those worn for ceremonial or ornamental purposes.

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This object is a member of the following portfolios:

African Art

Your current search criteria is: [Object]Location-Current contains "CAC-Installation" and [Object]Accession Number is not t@ and [Object]Accession Number is not and [Object]Century is "20th C.".

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Last updated: 01/27/2021

This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced.

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Diviner's Headdress ("Nkaka")

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