Forest buffalos, like leopards and elephants, are royal emblems in Cameroon for they embody the authority vested in a king by his people. Worn on the forehead rather than over the face, this brownblack head crest combines the features of the buffalo with those of a man. It would have been worn by a family member to honor his family line. The patterned spheres that have replaced the buffalo’s horns recall the tufted balls once woven onto the hats of nobility. The head crest’s dark color signaled its status as a spirit and was appropriate to the context of funerals in which it would customarily appear. During a performance, the masquerader would also have worn a somber black costume.