Antelope Headrest (Chi wara kun)

This carved headpiece is a product of the Bamana, who inhabit western and central Mali. Most Bamana sculpture is created for use in the ritual activities of male initiation societies called jow, age-graded associations through which males pass as they develop from child to adult. One such society, the Chi Wara, is named after an antelope-like mythical creature, half animal, half man, who introduced agriculture to humankind. The antelope headdress is used ceremonially in masquerades associated with the agricultural cycle. It is worn during planting and harvesting seasons, when masked tribe members dance in the fields and in the village square. The masquerade is performed by two men, representing a male/female pair, who dance bent over with antelope-like movements.

The Chi Wara figure can be represented as either male or female. The female is typically depicted with a baby, symbolizing the earth and humankind. The antelope’s long horns are symbolic of the successful growth of millet, the staple crop of the Bamana. The Art Museum’s two head ornaments, with their vertically and horizontally aligned horns, represent two distinct types or styles: one is associated with the area around Segou, and the other with the Bamako region. In this example, the adult female’s head projects in abstract fashion from the baby’s body. The sculpture rises from a pierced rectangular platform, which was originally attached to a basketry cap.