Perek (woman’s headdress)
20th century
A perek is a headdress worn by women in Ladakh, India, and neighboring areas within the Tibetan cultural orbit. The long section covered in chunks of turquoise falls over a woman’s forehead and down her back. The black sheep’s-wool ear pieces stick up to either side, and the false braids stream out behind the head. On this piece, the coral-beaded fabric appears only on one side, a style typical of the area around Leh, Ladakh’s capital city.
The number of vertical rows of turquoise in a perek indicate a woman's status in society—the higher her status, the heavier her hat. The woman who owned this hat was probably well-to-do but not on the social ladder’s upper rungs. In Ladakhi Buddhist culture, wealth is passed from mother to daughter. Traditionally, a perek consumed a good portion of a family’s resources. Today, sometimes using cheaper glass or plastic stones, pereks are usually reserved for weddings, special events, and tourist performances.
Lambswool, fiber, turquoise, mother-of-pearl, coral, glass, dze beads, and brass
Overall: 44 x 18 1/2 in. (111.8 x 47 cm)
Bequest of Frank D. Stout
98.47.88
