AFRICA! Kuba people beaded headband - Congo. Mid 20th century or earlier. Cm 73x3 ca. Raffia, cowry shells, beads. Such headbands were worn by nobles of Kuba royal families. They were the sign of powerful and wealthy persons. The prominent display of cowries in the royal costume emphasizes the ruler as by far the wealthiest person in the kingdom, so wealthy that he purportedly ate pulverized cowries as part of his diet. a king's rainment weighed as much as 185 pounds! The 130 titled individuals at court also had their own costume forms. For more information, see Blier's royal arts of africa. To see examples of Kuba beadwork, see Mack's emil torday and the art of the congo 1900-1909.