Head crest in the form of serpents

This vertical head crest is linked to a dance called nama tyétyé performed by secular village associations called Ton, which concern themselves with success in agriculture and encourage their young members to become good farmers. Part of masquerades during these Ton dances, head dresses often represent animals whose characteristics provide opportunities for moral lessons about human behavior. This zigzag serpentine form is said to refer to the deviousness of the hyena (nama), an animal also associated with imperfect knowledge.