Namibia, Herero
Traditional women's headdress "ekori"

hide (sheep or goatskin), iron beads, slightly dam. (beaded strings), on model head

Consisting of leather cap "ocipa" with three lancet-shaped, pointed leather horns "ozonya", which are decorated with fine decorative stitches. The veil of soft animal skin is attached above the forehead. The sewn and hanging cords with iron beads symbolize wealth.

The headdress "ekori" was worn exclusively by married women on special occasions. The veil of animal skin was rolled up and framed the woman's face.

Only when a young bride was escorted in solemn procession to her husband's hut did she wear the veil open so that it covered her face. Even when a woman returned to her parental home as a widow, she wore her face veiled in this way.

This type of headgear dates from the 19th century or earlier. The "ekori" is no longer worn today. In the late 19th century, in the course of Christianization, it was replaced by a headgear made of fabric, called "otjikaiva".
H: 41 cm; L: 52 cm (iron bead strings), H: 16,1 inch; L: 20,5 inch

Provenance:
Dieter Schaffner, Groß-Gerau, Germany

Lit.: Arnoldi, Mary Jo & Christine Mullen Kreamer, Crowning achievements, Los Angeles 1995, p. 36 f.
Szalay, Miklós, Die ethnographische Südwestafrika-Sammlung Hans Schinz 1884-1886, Zürich 1979, p. 48
Continent: Africa