Headdress (chi wara)
Unknown Artist
early 1900s
Medium
Wood, metal, glass beads, seashells, string, and probably tar
Dimensions
45.2 × 4.8 × 12.4 cm
Classification
Mask
Department
African Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Gift of Katherine C. White
Accession Number
1962.307
About this artwork
Chi wara—a mythical “farming beast”—was said to teach farming to the Bamana people. Carved patterns cover this female chi wara’s body, highlighting its muscles and emphasizing that it is no earthly animal, but rather an agricultural spirit that combines human, antelope, and anteater elements. This example emphasizes vertical space, with a kneeling human figure on the back. The figure is adorned with imported beads as well as small shells. Accompanied by women’s songs, male performers danced pair...