Crown Item Number: 3435/2 a-b from the MOA: University of British Columbia
Crown completely covered in yellow beads, with long strands hanging from bottom edge (part a). Crown is conical in shape with a circular pedestal on top. Bird figure sits on top centre of it and is detachable (part b). Body of crown covered in two rows of protruding bird figures. All have large white eyes, tips of tails painted white. On front and back, along bottom edge, are faces with oval-shaped eyes, long noses, and open oval-shaped mouths. All facial features extend outward. Crown has a padded interior, covered with white painted paper mache.
Beaded crowns, joining their wearer’s inner head with the àsa, or force of previous rulers, were adopted as part of kingly regalia in the nineteenth century. The faces represent the king’s ancestors, while the birds connote powerful enabling feminine forces which are required by all rulers.