Juju Hat

African headgear, handmade by Bamileke artisans (free shipping)

The first time we came across this impressive voluminous structure of feathers which are these Juju hats was at a Belgian flea market. Their delicacy stood out in stark contrast against the rough cement they were being exhibited on. Aroun was displaying them on his African art stand and he explained to us that in fact wooden statues were proving to be much more popular at that time.

We however, did not see the statues. We were instantly enamoured by the Juju hats and could already imagine them taking pride of place in our living room, either one alone or a few cleverly combined together.

What we couldn't imagine though was that something of that size was in fact a hat not a decoration and even less that in just a few months after we bought them, they would become THE decoration must-have of the moment. 

Juju hats come from Cameroon and are specifically attributed to the Bamiléké tribes. They are worn by dancers for ceremonies and symbolize prosperity. Feathers from birds both wild and tame are tied around wooden rods strung to a rafia base. They are completely hand-made by and artisans take two days to assemble them.

We asked Aroun to find more for us, however he warned that they are really quite difficult to find. In fact these examples may be the only ones we can hope to offer at SABELLAR.

Measurements

70 cm. diameter

Care

Here you will find instructions of how to unfold a juju hat in 5 simple steps. Despite their fragile appearance Juju hats are very well put together and it is highly unlikely that they lose their feathers. They can also be folded for storage purposes. To clean we recommend using a duster or chamois cloth. Do not hang them close to oven hobs as any grease staining could be bothersome to remove.    

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Encuentra aquí la historia en español.