In Africa, as elsewhere, different kinds of clothing and headwear have particular meanings. Hats can illustrate an individual's job or ethnic background or their standing in society. Farmers and blacksmiths wear particular hats in recognition of their skills and to show the particular jobs they do. Members of the royal family wear head-dresses to indicate their status.

Hats are sometimes used in ceremonies. Some people believe that the head represents a person's intelligence, abilities and power. Therefore, what is worn on the head has special meaning. A hat's material, whether cloth, wood or feathers, is significant. Glass beads show that the wearer is wealthy and is an important person, because the beads come from abroad and are valued as imported trade items. In addition, particular colours of beads and the designs can have specific meanings. Zigzag, lozenge, triangle and circle designs are common patterns used in decorating clothes.

Animals are recognised for their special strengths and skills. Headwear sometimes uses animal skins or feathers, as a symbol of the animal's qualities. For example, the leopard symbolises great strength, cunning and ferocity. A headdress or clothing made from leopard gives its wearer considerable authority and status. The former President of Zaire, Mobuto Sese Seko, wore a leopard skin cap, which showed his position as chief of the nation.

The Pende head-dress evokes the African buffalo - a huge animal with long inward-curving horns. Buffalo are agile and swift - they can slip in and out of woodland, and reach speeds of up to 50km an hour on open ground. When cornered, the buffalo fights fearlessly against adversaries, whether human or other animals. They pose a formidable challenge to hunters, and their abilities are renowned. Thus the buffalo horns on the chief's hat are a symbol of strength and courage.

The Pende people are mainly farmers who produce maize, millet, plantain and peanuts. The women do the majority of the farm work and sell the goods in the local markets. The men help with clearing the fields and they hunt and fish for food too. The Pende do not have local rulers. The chiefs provide leadership in traditional ceremonies and events but don't exercise any significant power. Chiefs are the heads of families, and are known as 'Djigo.' They officiate at initiation rites, when boys are accepted into adulthood. As well as wearing the bicorn head-dress, the chief enhances his status through ownership of carved stools, staffs, chairs and swords. The Pende are skilled carvers and make all the items used by the chief, as well as sculpting figures and making masks - many for use in initiation rites.

This red beaded hat comes from the Democratic Republic of Congo in central Africa. It has been made by the Pende people and is usually worn by a chief. Two horns stick out either side of the hat, and point forward. These are in imitation of buffalo horns and refer to the chief's authority - the chief is expected to be strong and powerful.

A knob sticks out the hat above the forehead and another knob sticks out of the crown of the hat. The hat is mainly red, decorated with yellow, blue and white beads in simple straight line patterns and a flower shape around the central knob, or finial. There are symbols that look like chevrons on the front and back of the hat. The glass beads are of different sizes, with larger beads on the insides of the horns. They have been tightly woven together in a brickwork pattern. The beaded hat sits on top of a woven fibre frame, like a basket.

The Yaka, Suku and Lunda people, who are the Pende's neighbours, also wear these hats. This style is believed to have originated in the Lunda region, and the Pende sell this type of beaded hat to the Yaka and Suku chiefs. Among the Pende, these headdresses are called misango mapende.