Antelope headdress "tjiwara" · Mali, Bamana · ID: 3047350
sold
EUR 3,000
Provenance
Enrico Prometti, Bergamo, ItalySize
H: 91 cm
H: 35.8 inch
Description
wood, brass, insect caused damage, rest., base
The “tjiwara” society members use a headdress representing, in the form of an antelope, the mythical being who taught men how to farm. The word “tji” means work and “wara” means animal, thus “working animal.”
They perform at farming contests that recognize a champion farmer. Always performing together in a male and female pair, the coupling of the antelope masqueraders speaks of fertility and agricultural abundance.