Wooden Dreams: East African Headrests

In widespread use across Africa and found in major museums around the globe, headrests are valuable and very personal objects. Though they appear to be purely utilitarian, headrests transcend their functionality to become something more. Their design, inherent beauty, and versatility give them a multilayered meaning. They are objects with ritual and magic purposes, and can be flaunted as status symbols that differentiate chiefs from ordinary people, rich from poor, and more. Full-color pictures showcase very rare headrests that have never been published before.