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The Montenegrin cap (Serbian: Црногорска капа or Crnogorska kapa) is a cap traditionally worn by the ethnic Montenegrins.
The cap is in the shape of a flat cylinder, having a red upper surface (called tepelak) surrounded by a black rim (called derevija). One part of the tepelak is surrounded with five golden threads, with the center of the surrounded surface being adorned originally with a six-pointed star, though there are other variations: the wearer's initials, initials of the wearer's region (nahija), a ruler's initials (today often Н. I, the initials of the last Montenegrin king Nikola I), the coat of arms of Montenegro or even the of SFRY. The last two can fill the entire tepelak, in which case there are no surrounding threads.
After the 1919 Christmas Uprising in Montenegro, the Serbian government started forcing the Montenegrins to place the Serbian Cross on their Caps, and banned the Montenegrin Coat of Arms.
The Montenegrin cap is somewhat similar to the Lika cap; also, similarity is noted to the hat which was traditionally worn in Risan. Its final design, which survives until today, was done by the famous Montenegrin ruler and poet Petar II Petrovic Njegos , who also ascribed symbolism to it: the red color of the tepelak symbolises the blood of people who have fallen for freedom, the black symbolises sorrow for lost freedom, and five golden threads symbolise the five centuries battling the Ottoman Empire. *Note that this symbolism is opinionative and the meaning varies between wearer.
Through history, it was called by different names: valjana, bijela, kariklija, zavratka. Today it is called simply "montenegrin cap" (crnogorska kapa).