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Headrest

Image Coming Soon

Headrest

20th century

For the pastoralists of East Africa, headrests are portable comfort zones.They serve as pillows, helping to preserve hairstyles which mark promotions in status. Wood pillows may not cushion the head but are said to help induce deep sleep. Lying on one's side, the headrest affects nerves on the neck to act as asubtle tranquilizer. Headrests could also become impromptu seats, accommodating the warrior's moments of rest. Men often carved their own out of fine-grained tough but lightweight wood.
Wood, leather, fiber
7 5/16 x 7 3/4 x 3 1/4 in. (18.5 x 19.7 x 8.2 cm)
Gift of Katherine White and the Boeing Company
81.17.1078
location
Not currently on view

Resources

Exhibition HistorySeattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, Elegant Plain Art: Art from the Shaker World and Beyond, July 7, 1999 - Feb. 1, 2001.

Seattle Art Museum respectfully acknowledges that we are on Indigenous land, the traditional territories of the Coast Salish people. We honor our ongoing connection to these communities past, present, and future.

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