Introduction

Ethnic Hats & Headdress
Headdresses are part of the costume that has a somewhat independent meaning and existence. The reason for wearing a hat can very from for beauty to an indication of social status or even as protection from weather or against the evil spirits. A headdress can provide information about the country in which the wearer lives, as well as the cultural group to which he belongs. Hats and headdresses may also be worn to frighten away enemies or to attract a mate. Hats have been worn for various reasons in different cultures, and they are a unique way to preserve culture and tradition.

The head has always been treated as a dominant part of the body and is frequently used in symbolism for a leader, a chief, or any dominant part of something. It is the noblest part of the body and as such it can also mean top,  extreme, source, beginning, the life, the leader etc.The headdress can reflect the ethnic, sex, age, marital and any other status of the wearer. They are owned and worn by men and women, young and old.

In some places the rich headdresses that are worn by women, is strictly their personal property and can be an important indication of their social status. They have also been used as a sort of  “portable bank”, where she might sell pieces of value to help with improvements in the home, or as emergency funds in time of need. This gives the women a greater independent.

The provision of a girl’s headdress, coins and jewelry at marriage is the responsibility of her father and is regarded as representing the girl’s rightful share in her bride price. A woman’s headdress decoration of coins and jewelry is a status symbol for her father and her husband and ultimately through their evaluation, for herself. In some places the headdresses are a family heirloom and the handing down through the generations is controlled by the social group.

An incredible variety of materials are used to make headdresses including; felt, cloth, cotton. wood , metal, feathers, cereal grains, buttons, shells, beads, coins, animal eyes and bones, certain plants and seeds, leaves, straw, bamboo, pearls, stones. They are all selected in different societies for their beauty, color, shape, size, mobility, economic value and their significance. For instance, in order to protect the wearer from the evil eye. Generally headdresses are made of a combination of the materials mentioned before. Each society has its own criteria and selection, the headdress is then an attribute to the physical beauty of the person, his religious beliefs, his wealth, and his status.

The materials of the hat can clearly display the fortune of the wearer. Some cultures, for example, consider feathers a symbol of wealth, while others will use coins and/or jewelry. Additions of beads, shells or metal, often increase the value of the headdresses significally. In some areas of the world, like in South East Asia, for example, the symbolic value of embellished headdresses is enhanced through the combinations of traditionally associated male elements like; beads, shells, ivory, metal, jewelry. These are classified as hard masculine materials. While the female ones, like textiles, wool and cloth, are classified as soft.

Shiny amulets, such as metal coins and sequins have the power to reflect or deflect the evil eye through dazzling, shimmering lights which absorb or distract its attention, and stare or reflect back. Sequins, small round pieces of gold or silver money, serve a dual purpose; to display wealth and to ward of the evil eye. When in motion, the headdress embellished with sequins creates dazzling kinetic affects as well as a tinkling sound which further distracts the evil eye.

In many instances headdresses are multi functional and fulfill more than one purpose simultaneously; they can be against the sun or the cold, against death and bad fortune, against the bad invisible spirits and the evil eye. In societies in which many types of headdresses occur, they may very varied in form, size, color, materials and accessories. Most ethnic groups and subgroups have their own distinctive headdresses, although some types spread widely across cultures. The visual differences from one group to the other can be expressed in the shapes, materials, accessories, techniques of making them, designs and combinations.

In many instances, headdresses seem to form a closed system of communication with its own rules and meaning. They relate to ethnic identity, sexual and age categories, social and ritual statuses, wealth and achievement, beauty, modes, and sentimental and magical considerations. The proportions and colors of the beads and their combination into certain patterns, for example, can serve as a personal message about their social situation. Geometrical designs, by the Islamic silverwork; draw attention to deep philosophical meanings, for instance the circle stands for unity and eternity, the triangle for spirit and the square for matter.

A numerous precious and semi precious stones that are included in some headdresses are also symbols of power. Each stone has the power to protect against a different evil. For example, Turquoise against hemorrhage, it brings good luck and takes away anger. Ruby- fortifies the heart and averts lightning and the threat of pest. These protective functions do not exclude the social, economic, and aesthetic significant of the neither ornament, nor deep philosophical meanings linked with the circle, triangle and squares.

Dzi beads frequently found on Tibetan headdresses, have protective a value against spirits that bring diseases and death. Elsewhere some headdresses can function as power objects. Some hats in New Guinea, help the hair to grow long. While in Indonesia the headdress protects a woman against the loss of hair and some headdresses are worn to please the spirits of the jungle.  They protect against attack by the spirits of the soul which sit in the head, especially in critical situations such as puberty, curing and death. Other headdresses also occur in some societies as a marker of relationships. Men, faced with spiritual crises may hide themselves from ghostly attacks by wearing women’s net over their heads.

Whatever the shape or size, be it simple, elegant or complicated the hats and headdresses of the world are the symbol of the diversity of the people and their cultures.