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Beaded Earflap

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Pair of Beaded Earflaps

Maasai People
Kenya
Pair of Beaded Earflaps
20th Century
Beads, leather
Anonymous gift
2006.2.47

Married Maasai women wear beaded leather flaps attached to their ears as an important marker of family affiliation through marriage. Earflaps may also denote the sub-ethnic group of the wearer. Even though they are considered to be a pair, the two beaded patterns are different, reflecting the Maasai preference for asymmetry.

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