Forehead ornament
Lado, Indonesia, Lesser Sunda Islands, Flores Island, Nage people, 20th century, made of gold, 50 x 26.5 cm, donation by Monique and Jean Paul Barbier-Mueller, 70.2001.27.709 © musée du quai Branly - Jacques Chirac, photo by Patrick Gries, Valérie TorreIn the culture of the Nage people on Flores Island, this type of ornament forms part of the family treasures, inherited from father to son. Men of high rank, chiefs or warriors, wore them, attached to the forehead with a scarf, for important occasions: the construction of a ceremonial pole or the sacrifice of a buffalo. The base of the ornament recalls the form of the horns of this highly valued animal in the culture of the Nage people.