Oromo war heroes wear embroidered capes during celebrations, like anniversaries of battles. This shoulder cape has five long appendages hanging from it, based on four limbs and tail of an original animal skin cape.

In 2005, SMM hosted the Omni Film, The Mysteries of the Nile. The film allowed us to highlight SMM collections rarely seen by the public. This piece reminds me of how much fun I had collaborating with community curators Solomon Gashaw and Daniel Abebe, members from the Twin Cites Ethiopian community. Serendipitously, Solomon Gashaw is an expert on Ethiopian war hero outfits and was overjoyed to see and exhibit this rare shoulder cape in SMM’s collection.
- Tilly Laskey, Curator of Ethnology