African Regalia

During investiture ceremonies, kings and chiefs receive courtly regalia—notably crowns or other special headgear—that proclaim their power and authority. Among the Yoruba of Nigeria, the tradition of the beaded crown, or ade, dates from the legendary first ancestor or ruler of the Yoruba, Oduduwa, who is said to have placed an ade on the head of each of his 16 sons. The ade consists of a beaded veil hanging from a cone-shaped hat that is covered with interlaced patterns of beads. Affixed to the cone are beaded relief sculptures of faces and birds with symbolic meaning in Yoruba culture. The beaded veil protects ordinary people from looking directly at so powerful a being. In turn, the king must never look inside the crown because that is where his power resides. Some say that looking inside could blind or kill him, while others assert that peering inside confirms a loss of power and that the king who has done so should commit suicide or face execution.

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