Object Name: Beaded crown
Place of Origin: Nigeria
Cultural Group: Yoruba peoples
Materials Used: Basketry, glass beads, cotton cloth, thread
Dimensions: H: 17cm, Diam: 11 cm (H: 6.6 in, Diam: 4.3 in)
Credit line and Accession Number: Fowler Museum at UCLA. Gift of Arnold Rubin. X86.4720

This miniature conical crown would have been placed on the top of an orisa Oko iron staff. It has several faces, oval shapes with bulging eyes and noses. Lineage scarification marks are represented by three vertical lines of white beads on each cheek, below the eyes. an inverted white triangle on the forehead suggests the spiritual presence of the ori inu (inner head).

Source: Drewal, H., Mason, J. (1998). “Beads, Body, and Soul – Art and Light in the Yoruba Universe”, Los Angeles: UCLA Fowler Museum of Cultural History. page 258