Cap, goatskin, Eastern Cape, 1950s

White goatskin cap stitched with cotton thread and decorated with beadwork, worn by a Xhosa diviner. The clothing and ornaments worn by 20th century diviners indicated their high social status and the importance of their relationship with the ancestors, the colour white being associated with the spiritual realm.

Presented by Mrs M Warner in 1987.

(SAMAE13068)

next>>