highlight objects
We are excited to unveil objects that have long been unseen or that have returned to Nigeria. Please explore this section to see some of the stories that they tell.
Beaded and veiled crowns, ade ileke, are traditionally worn by those Yoruba kings who can trace their ancestry to Oduduwa, the mythic founder and first king of the Yoruba people. The crown is called an orisha, a deity, and is placed upon the king's head by his female attendant. Powerful medicines are placed at the top of the crown to protect the king's head and thus his future.