Designed by
Dames, Wilshire, Bahamian
Date
2015
Medium
aluminum, cardboard, Styrofoam (TM), wire, tissue paper, sequin, paper, feathers, paint, Glass bead, cement products, felt, masking tape, plastic, thread, synthetic fiber, staples, and glue
Dimensions
H x W x D: 41 × 53 × 26 in. (104.1 × 134.6 × 66 cm)
Description
The costume harness of a man's costume for the Bahamas Junkanoo Revue, a junkanoo troupe in Miami, Florida.
The harness has two curved, red felt straps, one that goes over each shoulder. The back of the harness is red with a double border of gold beaded trim. Metal rods and wires, several of which are also covered in gold beaded trim, extend from the back of the harness and attach to the back piece (2015.140.6) and the hip extensions (2015.140.5ab).
A red belt secures the harness around the waist and sits at the bottom of the costume's shirt (2015.140.8). The belt has a row of clear, teardrop-shaped gemstones along the center and blue beaded trim. An intricate golden circular embellishment sits in the center of the belt with a blue teardrop shaped gemstone on top of it. Long, gold spirals hang from the bottom of the belt. The back of the belt has rainbow-colored stripes and a black buckle.
Extending from the harness are two long, curved snakes, one on either side. When the harness is worn, the snakes fall near the hips and extend outward. The bodies are red and yellow stripes with a blue beaded trim and the heads are red and blue with a red and yellow striped front. The top of each snake head is yellow with red stripes and blue and gold beads and has a white diamond with a silver glittered and beaded sphere that has yellow, blue, and white with red feathers coming out of it. There are two white fangs on each snake, trimmed in gold beading. The inside of the mouth is white with glitter and is trimmed in blue beading and each snake has a long, forked blue tongue. There are different shapes and sizes of gold beads on the snake heads with two golden metallic spheres at the bottom of each. When worn, the snakes curve over and rest on top of the costume's skirt (2015.140.9).
Place made
Miami, Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States, North and Central America
Cultural Place
Bahamas, Caribbean, North and Central America
Classification
Clothing - Costume
Type
ceremonial costume
Topic
Clothing and dress
Costume
Costume design
Dance
Design
Holidays and festivals
Identity
Ornamentation
Credit Line
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
Object number
2015.140.7
Restrictions & Rights
Unknown - Restrictions Possible
Rights assessment and proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
GUID
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd561065992-a2fd-4492-9f04-c47f0676725a

Cataloging is an ongoing process and we may update this record as we conduct additional research and review. If you have more information about this object, please contact us at NMAAHCDigiTeam@si.edu

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