A Fine Bamana Chiwara Mythical Antelope Headdress. Bamana / Bambara peoples, Mali, Africa.This headdress sculpture was carved from a single piece of wood to honor that original mythical being. Under Chiwara's guidance, humans first learned to cultivate the land and became prosperous and able farmers. When humans gradually became careless and wasteful, however, Chiwara is said to have buried himself in the earth. To honor Chiwara's memory, the Bamana carved headdresses such as these to represent him. This headdresses combines antelope features with those of another animal that are significant within Bamana culture, such as the earth-digging aardvark or the armored pangolin. The animals are observed in nature to excel in actions that are also critical to the success of the farming effort and, therefore, Bamana life and so honored with their images on the headdress.A Lovely old example, custom mounted. The Headdress measures 19 x 9.5 inches.

Good/fair, well worn