Yoruban Beaded Crown (Ade)

Nigeria

Late 20th century

Basketry, beads, cloth

Among the Yoruban people, beaded objects were associated with the gods and were traditionally reserved for use by the king and his descendants. This ceremonial crown embodies the notion of Yoruban kingship. The king, or oba, was believed to possess supernatural powers, and officiated as a link between his people, the ancestors, and the gods. The faces on the crown are believed to symbolize this connection between the past and the present. The bird images allude to the king’s mystical role as intermediary between the worlds of gods and of men. The beaded veiling is intended to protect onlookers from looking directly upon his divine countenance.