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In the Kongo Kingdom, the woven arts were emblematic of kingship and nobility. The coarse filament stripped from the fronds of the raffia palm tree served as the foundation of the Kongo weaving arts. This material imposed constraints that were overcome to produce varied and ingenious textile formats and structures. ==Chief of nobleman's cap, ''Mpu'' or ''Ngunda''== The ''mpu'' was a supple knotted cap of golden raffia or pineapple fiber and a vital component of the chief's regalia, which also included a ''kinzembe'' mesh tunic, a woven chest bag, a charm bag (''nkisi''), a reliquary basket, the double bell, and a stool. For Kongo, Vili, Yombe, Mbundu, and related peoples in northern Angola and the region formerly known as the Lower Congo, the ''mpu'' signified the authority invested in a person elected to an office of sacred leadership.〔 Moraga writes that "it was also a potent cosmological symbol connecting the chief (''mfumu''), the kin group, and the village to a mythic place of origin as well as a specific territorial domain (''nsi'')."〔 There are several types of ''mpu'' hats. The ''ngunda'' (from the root ''ngu'', meaning mother) is an unstructured domed style decorated with high-relief patterns that was bestowed on new chiefs during investiture rites. The ''ngola'' is a taller, conical cap worn by the paramount leaders of the Kongo realm. Nearly all caps are constructed in spiral form, working from the center of the crown to the edge of the hat border. Mpu were designed to cover the spiritually vulnerable top of the head. The Congolese used to the term ''nzita'' to express their belief that hair grew in a circular pattern in this spot. According to Moraga, "The crows of caps are typically worked with a spiraling lattice or openwork pattern that differs from the interlacing geometric designs on the sides- as if to mimic the whorls of the hair while accentuating the extraordinary protection afforded by the headwear."〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Kongo textiles」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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