Headrest

Headrests or neckrests have been known since ancient Egypt. Their use is found to varying degrees across almost all of Africa.

It is this part of the head, the nape, that needs support. The purpose is not to rest the head to fall asleep, but to support the nape to protect the hairstyle. African women, especially those of high social status, wear elaborate hairstyles at festivals and ceremonies, sometimes taking several days to create. Men have also used these objects, although less frequently, as in some regions they too wear artistic hairstyles on special occasions. Today the objects have fallen out of use.

These small objects, which rarely exceed 15 or twenty centimetres in height, are usually artistically carved or soberly fashioned according to their owner’s rank and culture. Normally made from a single piece of wood, they are often true works of art, as with Ashanti neckrests.

For the Luba, this object is a receptacle for dreams, during which one receives confidences from the ancestors. Their cascading headrests, called mikanda, are famous; the caryatids have elaborate hairstyles imitating those of women in the Luba region, sometimes requiring more than two days’ work. Another hairstyle typical of these women forms a cross at the back of the head.

Stool representing a head with its ears. Dark patina.