Barrister’s Crown (Orikogbofo)

YorubaWW-1925-136561

1925·Raffia, canvas, glass, and pigment·20.4 × 20.4 × 25.4 cm (8 × 8 × 10 in.)

<p>Within many African communities, headwear is used to signify social, religious, political, and personal status. The form of this beaded crown is based on the British barrister's wig. It would have been worn by a Yoruba oba, or king, at the opening of the legislature or for other occasions related to the Nigerian legal system. During the mid-20th century, when this crown was made, Nigeria was under British rule, and it explicitly references British judge's wigs. However, it also incorporates traditional Yoruba iconography: the projection on the top refers to the sacredness of the oba's head and his role as mediator between the Yoruba people and the gods.</p>

Catalogue

Year: 1925
Medium: Raffia, canvas, glass, and pigment
Dimensions: 20.4 × 20.4 × 25.4 cm (8 × 8 × 10 in.)
Collection: Art Institute of Chicago
Artist: Yoruba

Artist

Yoruba

Textile

Yoruba is an Atlantic–Congo language that is spoken in West Africa, primarily in South West Nigeria, Benin, and parts of Togo. It is spoken by the Yoruba people. Yoruba speakers number roughly 50 million, including around 2 million second-language or L2 speakers. As a pluricentric language, it is primarily spoken in a dialectal area spanning Nigeria, Benin, and Togo with smaller migrated communities in Ivory Coast, Sierra Leone and Gambia.

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