CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
Mask | Chi Wara
Antelope head crest mask, 1900 - 1950
About the object
This headdress carved from hard, black-brown wood represents a male antelope with the ears of an aardvark. Horizontal chi waras usually consist of two parts joined together at the neck. Chi waras are associated with the Bambara peanut plant. The upper half of the animal stands for the world above the ground. The lower one represents the soil in which the peanut grows. This object is the mascot of the Freundeskreis Museum Natur und Mensch Freiburg e.V.
The top of the head shows chi wara, a hybrid of a male roan antelope (horns, long neck, penis) and aardvark (snout, legs). The animals are considered a symbol of vitality, fertility and skill in tilling the soil. Wearing these masks, in combination with black costumes, people danced in pairs as part of the harvest cycle. Sexuality and the fertility of the fields were closely connected in the imagination of the Bamana. The elegant, carved head attachment was probably made in two parts and joined at the neck with a metal cuff.