West Africa, Mali, Bamana (also Bambara), Mali, ca. 1950. A finely carved female Chi Wara (Ci Wara) headdress depicting a mother and child antelope, so skillfully and extensively carved with an intricate composition and marvelous incised details. In addition, the mother antelope is further embellished with five decorative embossed metal sheet cuffs around her horns and just below her eyes as well as red fiber tassels adorning her nose and eyes. The female figure carries a young antelope on her back - a composition that is thought to represent the Chi Wara hero carrying human beings, akin to a newborn on its mother's back. Size: 11.375" L x 2.375" W x 37.375" H (28.9 cm x 6 cm x 94.9 cm)

Often described as an antelope, the Chi Wara is actually a composite animal – part antelope, part aardvark, and part pangolin. All of these animals are creatures that dig up the earth; while antelopes carve the ground with their hooves, the aardvark and pangolin use their claws to excavate termite mounds. This communion with the earth makes them ideal components of the Chi Wara, the supernatural being believed to have taught the Bamana people how to farm.

Historically, such masks were worn by male and female pairs in a dance performance that praised skilled farmers. The creator of this particular mask emphasized the elongated body of a roan antelope; the vertical horns resemble those of both the roan and oryx antelopes and are also said to resemble millet stalks. The body, with its big ears and short legs, suggests the aardvark; while the incised surfaces suggest the scales of the pangolin. The dancer for whom such masks are intended, traditionally wears raffia stalks that symbolize flowing water as well as a fruitful harvest. The zig-zag motifs reference the sun's movement across the sky. A bold and breathtaking mask that demonstrates a high level of skill with its expert carving and overall beautiful composition.

This example is very similar to a female Chi Wara headdress in the Metropolitan Museum of Art (accession number 1978.412.436). According to the Met's essay, "Among the Bamana, oral traditions credit a mythical being named Ci Wara, a divine being half mortal and half animal, with the introduction of agriculture to the Bamana. Bamana society is primarily an agricultural one; even today the majority of Bamana peoples are subsistence farmers. These headdresses, also called ci wara, are carved to honor that original mythical being. Under Ci Wara's guidance, humans first learned to cultivate the land and became prosperous and able farmers. When humans gradually became careless and wasteful, however, Ci Wara is said to have buried himself in the earth. To honor Ci Wara's memory, the Bamana created a boli, a power object in which his spirit could reside, and carved headdresses such as these to represent him."

Provenance: private Houston, Texas, USA collection, purchased in Houston, Texas, USA in 1995

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#162914

Repair to young antelope with break across the neckline as shown; the reattached section could be better secured. Expected surface wear with scuffs, abrasions, nicks/chips to peripheries and high pointed areas. Perforation through base likely intended for attachment.