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fine decorations of Oting head receivers |
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I go up the steep path to Oting together with Nlamo who in vain tries to catch a jungle cock which was crowing nearby. Now the boys and men of the village are coming towards us individually and in small groups. They all are wearing their dancing hats and some other headdress, and in the choice of this most important piece of apparel, they show not a little imagination and a strongly individual taste. Most popular seem to be plaited hats of red and yellow rattan as they are bought from Chi and Totok, decorated with a comb of red goat's hair and one or two hornbill bird feathers. In addition one also sees many caps here of monkey skin at the rim of which also I added some smaller feathers. Furthermore there is a large number of small hats of loose braiding which they make themselves and decorate with feathers or hog bristle. Today in addition most boys have stuck leaves into their hats as well as into their ears and some even wear a flaming red poinsettias in their headdress. There also are boys rushing to the river whose hair still falls down to their shoulders and many a father is even taking along smaller boys. All carry baskets with fresh palm leaf strips. |
