Antelope dance crest "tjiwara"

Description

light wood, greyish brown patina, small remains of black paint, metal tag eyes, elongated head with long horns widely projecting to the back, rising from rectangular plate, slightly dam. (horn tips), old rep. (breakage at the neck fixed by metal clamps, further breakages: horn/ear right hand side), missing parts (left ear), strong abrasion of paint (washing patina);
“tijwara” masks are danced in male-female pairs. They accompany workers into communal fields, praising and challenging the young men. They also entertain at hoeing contests that recognize a champion farmer. The dancers are male, but they are joined by young women, who fan the “tijwara” to diffuse the power “nyama” that the beasts are believed to emit. The dancers hunch over and lean on canes that evoke forelegs, their movements mimicking an antelope’s.

Publications

AHDRC: 0141942