Antelope dance crest "tjiwara"

Description

wood, brown patina, remains of black paint, red pigment, cord material, combining aardvark, pangolin and the horns of the roan antelope, fine incised and notched ornaments, fixed on grass fibre cap with small crossbars for strengthening, old collection number “211”, slightly dam., abrasion of paint, base;
the performance of “tjiwara” dance crests was closely linked to agricultural life, resp. the cultivating of land. Legend has it that man had been taught the skills of farming by three animals, the aardvark, the pangolin and the python. This is why these animals are often part of “tjiwara” representations.

Comparing literature