Yaka artists make a wide range of well-carved, decorated wooden objects, including face masks, combs, flywhisks, musical instruments, divination devices, and medicinal figures. The Yakas’ preference for embellishment is exemplified by this comb. A Yaka woman would have worn a comb like this in her hair as both a coiffure tool and an accessory that communicated her prosperity and social status. This comb is elaborately carved; the three teeth emerge from a square wooden handle, decorated with a carved pattern of short lines and topped with a head with an upturned nose.