In many African cultures, wooden headrests were carved to enable people to sleep without spoiling their hairstyles; they were oftentimes indicative of age, gender and status.
The headrest also played a role in nuptial ceremonies. A groom would place currency under his bride's headrest on the eve of consummation as the bride could then take the money to buy an amber necklace to cement her new status as a married woman.
Headrests came in several forms and relate to other intricate but abstract works.
These headrests were generally curved, containing concave surfaces of varying diameters and depths for the head to rest on, with a long stem that sits atop a circular base, and many times had a leather strap inserted through the stem for the user to place over their wrist for convenient transporting, as is the case with this headrest.
