Indiana University Indiana University IU

Origin Bamum kingdom
Title Head Crest (Tu Ngünga)
Date First quarter of the 20th century
Medium Wood, pigment, fiber, and and raffia
Dimensions Object: 30 1/4 × 26 1/2 × 21 in. (76.8 × 67.3 × 53.3 cm)
Overall (includes tassels): 41 3/4 × 26 1/2 × 21 in. (106 × 67.3 × 53.3 cm)
Credit Line Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University
Accession Number 76.69

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About this Work

This head crest has been associated with a masquerade that was part of a festival called patambuo, which was created by King Njoya around 1910, but which was held for only a few years. Celebrated in conjunction with a successful harvest, the festival included masked performances and the distribution of salt and various agricultural products by the king to his wives, the princes and princesses, and lineage heads, who in turn gave it to their dependents and attendants.


Provenance research is ongoing for this and many other items in the Eskenazi Museum of Art permanent collection. For more information about the provenance of this artwork, please contact the department curator with specific questions.

 

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Cite this Page
"Head Crest | Collections Online." Collections Online. Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University, 2025. https://artmuseum.indiana.edu/collections-online/browse/object.php?number=76.69