Title
Ceremonial hat
Year/Period
Early 20th century
Region
Yemen, Arabian Peninsula/Aceh, North Sumatra
Material
Dimension
Object size: H:22.5 x W:18.5 x D:18.5 cm
Accession No.
2010-01326
Collection of
This hat was made by weaving and stitching this strips of cotton cloth over a rattan or fibre frame and decorated with a tiered gilded silver finial. Such hats may have been originally brought by Yemeni traders or brought back by pilgrims from Sumatra who went to Mecca to perform the Hajj. Often, decorative finial of precious metal, set with stones was added, probably as an embellishment to show rank and status. It is a good example of how imported goods were often adopted for ceremonial use by local peoples in Sumatra.
