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King's bonnet (mpelet)

In 1908, King Njoya of Bamum (reign ca. 1887 - 1933) presented this bonnet to Theodor Seitz (*1863 - †1949), the then German governor of Cameroon, as a birthday present for Emperor Wilhem II. Such bonnets, called mpelet in the Bamum language, were only made for kings and other high dignitaries. Only a few are as magnificent as this example, which is richly decorated with precious, coloured glass beads and depicts chameleons, which are considered royal animals.

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Data Provider
Ethnologisches Museum Show original at data provider

Cataloguing data

Cultural attribution
Bamun (Bamum, Mamum, Bamoun, Mamoun, Mamoum)
Object type
King's bonnet (mpelet)
Dimensions
Depth: 46 cm
Height: 36 cm
Depth: 12 cm
Width: 31 cm
Material/Technique
Raphia (palm tree), Cotton, Glass bead, Snail shell (cowrie, Cypraea moneta) (a)
Current location
Ethnologisches Museum, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin
Inventory number
III C 33343
Related object(s)

Provenance and sources

  • Production
    when
    19th century
    where
    Cameroon
    who
    Bamun (Bamum, Mamum, Bamoun, Mamoun, Mamoum)
  • Change of legal title:
    Acquisition
    Description
    Donated by Wilhelm II in 1927
  • Assignment to a curated holding:
    Africa

Information about the record

Legal status metadata
CC BY-SA 4.0 DEED
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