Edmundo Morales Indigenous Andean Hat and Headress Collection
The Edmundo Morales Indigenous Andean Hat and Headress Collection is comprised of fifty unique hats and headresses made and worn by Indigenous peoples of the Andes. Dr. Morales, professor emeritus of sociology, collected these items over a five year period, with the objective “to document traditional hats in Bolivia, Ecuador, and Peru that may no longer be extant in a few decades with the aggressiveness of the modern world.” Hats and headdresses have long been iconic elements of Andean social history and culture. Archaeological evidence for headdresses show their prominence before and during Inca dominance, as well as during colonial times. Warriors would wear hats as status symbols from the 4th to 10th centuries, and some were even buried with their owners. Weaving expressive caps with the corners embellished with tassels and peaks, hatters of the ancient Andes were artisans of great sophistication, flair, and genius. This has continued into the modern era, as hatters have taken Western motifs and made them their own. But globalization also may lead to the eventual decline of this practice with the shift from traditional wool hats for polyester-blend baseball caps. The eye-catching hats in this collection, he writes, are the pieces of indigenous clothing that surrender first to globalization. Morales donated the collection to the WCU Museum in 2013.
To learn more, read Morales' published monograph: Indigenous Andean Hats and Headdresses: Tradition, Identity and Symbolism (West Grove, PA: Alpamayo Photography and Publishing, 2012).
