Click on a name to see a larger image and detail.
|
|
|
The headdresses below have been sold and are left here for reference and
educational purposes.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Photographs © Tim Hamill
BAMANA, Chi Wara Horizontal Headdressses, Mali
Bamana Chi Wara from Mali, represent and honor the mythological half man / half antelope hero who taught man how to cultivate the soil. They were danced in pairs and celebrate the union of male (sun), female (earth) and fibre costume (rain), signifying the cooperation needed for a successful harvest and community survival. They are worn as headdresses and danced as pairs. Spelled alternately Ci Wara, Tyi Wara, etc. they illustrate the diversity of ways to represent an unwritten pronunciation. There are three types of Chi Wara headdresses; the familiar vertical style of the eastern Bamana, the more realistic horizontal style of the northern Bamana and the varied and more abstract forms of the Southern Bamana. These are examples of the northern horizontal style. The head is usually carved separately from the body and attached by iron staples or a brace.
RETURN TO BAMANA CHI WARA PAGE
RETURN TO MASKS AND HEADS PAGE
RETURN TO AFRICAN FIGURES PAGE
Index by |
Index by |
