Headdress

The feathers of this ceremonial headdress come from the Scarlet Macaw and the toucan. These feathers have been inserted into a basketry crown. Feathers remain a valued commodity; the bird of origin and the feather colours relate to their mythology e.g. red for blood.

Dr Hubert Carlton Whitlock’s family are connected to Demerara through the De Kinderen plantation his father purchased as a joint owner with Walter Urquhart in 1830. Whitlock was a curator at the Georgetown museum in Guyana.

Accession reg: uses the noun ‘arok’ to describe this headdress. However, in the Akawaio and Arekuna languages, arok means hat.

Object Summary

Accession Loan No.
E969
Collection Class
Clothing and accessories
Collection Area Region
South America
Material
macaw and toucan feathers | cane | vegetable fibre | vegetable fibre |
Common Name
headdress
Simple Name
headdress
Production Town
Production County
Demerara
Production Country
Guyana; Brazil
Production Person Initials
Production Person Surname
Production Year Low
Production Year High

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feather headdress