Conical leather and raffia(?) hat

Any ideas where this may originate. It came with a stack of African ethnographic material years ago and I have not yet found the right occasion to wear it.

 

Halloween would have been a good time.

 

$20.00
The trademark hat of the Fulani people of West Africa. The red material and the tassels are leather, the tan material is straw, and sometimes further decorated with hand made cloth items. The Fulani are migrant cattle herders found throughout West Africa. This hat is one of the few things that is common to the tribe throughout a broad expanse of 'West Africa. A true collectors item, and a work of great cultural significance. 14" diameter. Made in Mali.

 

$20 is for a medium size...

 

It's about 12 inches across. With the tribal name I found the retailer's site you quoted from. I thought the wording sounded a bit odd. No way to know if mine was made in Mali, of course. As best as I can reconstruct the provenance it had been in a Belgian ethnographic collection since the 1970s.

 

FULANI HAT

Code:
BFFULANIL,BFFULANIM, BFFULANIC
RRP:
$20.00, $27.00, $38.00
Colours available:
As Pictured
Size/Measurements(approx):
S=27x20cm, M=36x25cm, L=48x29cm
Country of Origin:
Burkina Faso
Materials:
Elephant grass, Leather, dye

You're right .....the hat you have could have been made in Burkina Faso....so there's no sure fire way to know exactly where it was made.

The only thing I can say for sure is that they are still being made today , & yours is the childs size , which retails for around $20.

Your hat , being so old & coming from a fine collection , may carry a higher value...... or it may not.

There's no way to know for sure.

 

You would rather raffish wearing it while gardening.

 

Will go well with your Guy Fawkes mask.

 

My fave, saw him on a NAT GEO programme once,LOL

Editing, this pic is much better,LOL