Hat

Brimless, cylindrical shaped woman's hat, structure formed by base and exterior of bamboo which has been bent to form columnar shape. Articulated with hoops and circlets of strung cowrie shells, red-stained and natural bamboo. Dried seed pods and finely braided and woven grasses which are fastened in a row down the center back with vegetable fiber cord knots and anchored with three double strands of thread which are woven between the circlets at the center, front and sides. A lining of blue dyed fabric rests between the inner and outer bamboo layers and extends below the bamboo to form a non-rigid edge of several inches which is bound with red fabric and trimmed with four horizontal bands. One of cowrie shells, one of alternating seed pods of red, white and black, and two of metal beads. The hat is surmounted, by a blue cloth covered crown, the crown rim trimmed in front and bound in undyed fabric and encircled by a single horizontal row of metal beads and three vertical rows of larger metal beads. Yard-long ropes of dried seed-pods are knotted on black vegetable fiber threads and are attached in clusters over each ear, and looped back to be fastened at the peak of crown.