Hundreds of headdresses telling histories in Old Montreal museum
Nearly every culture around the world seems to adorn their heads.
"Headdresses around the World" is an exhibit at the Pointe-a-Calliere Museum that provides proof of this.
The exhibit includes around 300 headbands, bonnets, crowns, and more. Head and shoulders above any other collection, French philanthropist Antoine de Galbert donated the pieces to the Musee des Confluences in Lyon, France, and they are now on loan in Montreal.
Cedric Lesec travelled with the collection from Lyon and represents the Musee des Confluences.
"It's his life, the life of a collector, more than 30 years to collect these objects around the world," said Lesec. "Some are items from daily life; others are for special ceremonies."
From a copper foil wedding crown from Sumatra to a chief's headdress from the Democratic Republic of Congo made of beads, wood and plant fibres, the displays inform the visitors who wore the item and how it was made.
Anne Elisabeth Thibault of the Pointe-a-Calliere museum pointed to the ornate wedding headdresses from India that are actually made out of algae as items that will turn heads.
"Pith helmets" are made out of Sholapith, a white spongy plant matter that hardens as it dries.
"These white algae turns into a paste when it is out of the water, and it becomes really, really solid, and after that, it can be sculpted," said Thibault.
Many headpieces are made with natural, found objects like horns and feathers.
Visitors to the exhibit can learn about how South American artists feed birds certain foods to influence the colours of their feathers before collecting them as they fall.
"They need to preserve the environment," said Thibault. "They have a good knowledge nature, and they will know how to feed the birds in order to have certain colours coming out of the feathers."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Average hourly wage in Canada now $34.95: StatCan
Average hourly wages among Canadian employees rose to $34.95 on a year-over-year basis in April, a 4.7 per cent increase, according to a Statistics Canada report released Friday morning.
Magnitude 4.2 earthquake reported off Vancouver Island's west coast
A 4.2-magnitude earthquake was recorded west of Vancouver Island early Friday morning.
This iconic Canadian song is turning 50
Andy Kim's 'Rock Me Gently' is marking a major milestone, as it celebrates its 50th anniversary.
From outer space? Sask. farmers baffled after discovering strange wreckage in field
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
Calgary police to release more details on pro-Palestinian protest
Details on arrests, tickets and charges against a number of pro-Palestinian protesters arrested at the University of Calgary will be released on Friday, police say,
Her SUV was stolen in Montreal. A Good Samaritan on Facebook helped her get it back
Just as she had feared, a restaurant owner from eastern Quebec who visited Montreal had her SUV stolen, but says it was all thanks to the kindness of strangers on the internet — not the police — that she got it back.
Oprah Winfrey: I set an unrealistic standard for dieting
Oprah Winfrey said on Thursday evening that she has long played a role in promoting unhealthy and unrealistic diets.
Ontario family receives massive hospital bill as part of LTC law, refuses to pay
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Toronto police called to Drake's Bridle Path mansion for another alleged intruder on Thursday
Toronto police say a man who allegedly attempted to access Drake’s Bridle Path property was taken to hospital on Thursday after an altercation with security guards.