Antelope dance crest "tjiwara"

Description

light brown wood, dark brown patina, vertical (male) type, crowned by a seated female figure, min. dam., fine cracks, slight traces of abrasion, base.
“Tjiwara” 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.