African Arts Gallery

"Pillow" Gurage, massive and stable, adorned with ridged walls, which was used inside dwellings but which was also carried in ceremonies. Among the elements of traditional African furniture, this type of neckrest has a smooth and shiny patina. More than eighty ethnic groups in Ethiopia have produced different headrests for individual use called yagerteras, or “my country pillows” or “Boraati” (“tomorrow you”).
Small chips, desiccation crack.
The objects were originally intended to protect the elaborate hairstyles of their owner (male or female) during the night. But among the Turkana, for example, it is the emblem of the groom's tenderness for his bride, a pledge of union in the same way as an engagement ring.

African headrests come in an almost infinite variety: this type of African monoxyle headrest, at the same time stool, has a smooth orange patina. Equipped with a spherical foot, a block with an oblong, barely curved top, probably comes from the Gurage, Gima, or Oromo. More than eighty ethnic groups in Ethiopia have indeed produced different neck rests for individual use named yagerteras, or "pillows of my country" or "Boraati" ("tomorrow you").

Erosions.
Over time, the realization becoming more complex until becoming real small masterpieces of sculpture, they also became individual objects of prestige and power, placed on family or collective altars. These objects were initially intended to protect the elaborate hairstyles of their owner (man or woman) during the ...