Hat

This large round hat is woven from rice straw. Most Burmese farmers/fishermen wear a sturdy conical hat known as a ‘kha-mauk’, which is made from a bamboo frame and bamboo sheath. This hat is very similar in shape but the rice straw makes the hat more malleable. Unlike the rest of Southeast Asia Burma does not have an array of hats for working in the fields, so it is interesting to have this example in the collection.

Two images of similar hats being worn were documented by James Henry Green and can be found in his photographic collection at the Royal Pavilions, Brighton. Photo 1564 shows similar hats being worn at the marketplace and photo 0253 shows the hats being worn at a Manau festival where people are dancing. These photographs suggest that the hats were worn in a variety of situations.

Object Summary

Accession Loan No.
E330
Category
Ethnography
Collection Class
Clothing and accessories
Collection Area Region
SE
Material
rice straw
Common Name
hat
Simple Name
hat
Production Country
Myanmar
Production Year High
1873

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hat