- Pointy hat
Pointy hats have been a distinctive item of
headgear of a wide range of cultures throughout history, in particular suggesting an ancient Indo-European tradition, but they were also traditionally worn by women of Lapland, the Japanese, theMi'kmaq people of AtlanticCanada , and the Huastecs of Veracruz and Aztec (illustrated e.g. inCodex Mendoza ). The Kabiri ofNew Guinea have the "diba", a pointy headgear glued together. [ [http://www.jadukids.de/ursprung/ursprung2/Seiten/ur18_jpg.htm Angeleimter Spitzhut oder "diba" Kabiri (Neuguinea) de icon] ]Bronze Age
The conical
golden hat s ofBronze Age Central Europe were probably a ceremonial priestly accessory. See alsohorned helmet .Iron Age
Textile analysis of the
Tarim Mummies has shown some similarities to theIron Age civilizations of Europe dating from800 BC , including woventwill andtartan patterns strikingly similar toCelt ic tartans from Northwest Europe. One of the unusual finds with one of the mummies was a distinctively pointed hat::"Yet another female - her skeleton found beside the remains of a man - still wore a terrifically tall, conical hat just like those we depict on witches riding broomsticks at Halloween or on medieval wizards intent at their magical spells." (Barber 1999:200)
Pointed hats were also worn in ancient times by
Saka (Scythians ), and shown onHindu temples and Hittiterelief s. The name of theScythian tribe of the "tigrakhauda" (Orthocorybantians ) is abahuvrihi compound literally translating to "people with pointy hats".The
Hallstatt culture Warrior of Hirschlanden is wearing a pointy hat or helmet.Hephaestus , theCabeiri as well asOdysseus are traditionally pictured as wearing aPilos , a woolen conical hat.Middle Ages
The
9th century Cumans are reported to have fought wearing pointy hats.The papal
mitre in the12th century was conical. [ [http://www.siue.edu/COSTUMES/PLATE15AX.HTML THE HISTORY OF COSTUME By Braun & Schneider - c.1861-1880, Plate #15a - Twelfth Century] ] "Mitra papalis " is a type ofconch named after the papal mitre for its form.Following the
Fourth Lateran Council of1215 Jew s were forced to wear distinctive clothing which often took the form of the pointed "Jewish hat " (or "Judenhut"), which were already worn by Jews, probably imported from the Islamic world, and perhaps before that from Persia. [ [http://www.myjewishlearning.com/history_community/Medieval/MedievalSocialTO/Clothing/JewishHat.htm Jewish hat article] ]Popular among Burgundian noblewomen in the
15th century was a type of conical headgear now called ahennin . [ [http://www.factmonster.com/ce6/society/A0822937.html hat — FactMonster.com] ]The
whirling dervish es from the13th century wore hats similar to the hennins, and the Ottoman Janissaries wore similar headgear to show their veneration forHadji Bektash , founder of aSufi order.Conical hats were also popular in late medieval
Vijayanagar ,India .The term "
dunce cap " is only attested from1840 , but allegedly (according toCecil Adams ),John Duns Scotus in the 14th century recommended the wearing of conical hats to stimulate learning.The "
Schedelsche Weltchronik " printed inNuremberg in1493 showsthe "genealogy ofJaphet " in a woodcut byMichael Wolgemut (1433–1519).Gomer is shown in a pointed hood,Ascenes , from the1530s often identified withTuiscon , wears a "Jewish hat". [ [http://www.editionhutter.de/german.htm Eine Studie über die Genese des frühneuzeitlichen deutschen Nationalismus, dargestellt an den Bildgenealogien des 16. Jahrhunderts de icon] ]Modern times
During the 16th and 17th centuries, commoners in England and Wales often wore pointed hats. The Quakers took the custom to the New World. Likewise, the "
Spitzhut " is a traditional headgear inBavaria .Pointy hoods were used by various secret orders and Catholic lay confraternities for processions, e.g. the "
Semana Santa " ofSevilla who wore theCapirote , and eventually also adopted by theKu Klux Klan .The term Pointy Hat was also used as a derogatory term towards the leader of the roman catholic church (the pope) and the
Papal Tiara . The term has generally lost most its notoriety after the Vatican II discontined the tradition of wearing the papal tiara.Unhooded pointy hats are still worn in rural Louisiana Mardi Gras celebrations by the
Cajuns , where they are known ascapuchon s.The developers of the [http://www.FreeBSD.org/ FreeBSD Project] award symbolic pointy hats (
Dunce hat ) to other developers or themselves, usually in humorous intent, to highlight mistakes.Folklore and fiction
Classical pointy hats are worn by the
dwarf s,witch es and wizards of European myth.See alsoGarden gnome ,Smurfs ,Gandalf , Merlin,Odin .ee also
*
Capirote
*Hennin
*Phrygian cap
*Papal tiara
*Mitre
*Judenhut
*Dunce cap
*Sugarloaf hat
*conical straw hat
*Gugel
*Capuchon
*Party hat
*Chinese hat knob References
*Barber, A.W. (1999). "The Mummies of Ürümchi". Macmillan, London.
External links
* [http://www.craftycostume.com/medieval_research2.htm Other groups from the Middle ages who wore tall pointy hats!]
* [http://www.widdershins.org/vol6iss8/oestara01.07.html Pagan Myths Debunked: Where Did You Think That Pointy Hat Came From, Anyway?]
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