Headdress Item Number: 3595/13 from the MOA: University of British Columbia
Description
Antelope headdress. Wooden carving depicting two antelope-like animals. The smaller animal is standing on the back of the larger, which is standing on a rectangular base. The faces of the animals are decorated with incised lines and triangles, while the horns have incised curved lines. Each animal has protruding eyes, with holes on either side of the face bored through the wood.
History Of Use
Chi Wara (or Tyi Wara, etc.) headdresses are made to be danced as a pair (male and female) at harvest festivals to honour Chi Wara, a half human half antelope mythical being who taught agriculture to the ancestors of the Bamana people. The headdresses embody the ingredients necessary for successful cultivation, their long horns representing the tall growth of millet. The headdress is attached to a wicker cap, which is strapped around the chin of a dancer.
Narrative
Purchased by the Kelowna Museum (now the Okanagan Heritage Museum) from Mr and Mrs Henry Hildebrand in 1982.
Item History
- Made in Mali
- Owned by Okanagan Heritage Museum before September 14, 2022
- Received from Okanagan Heritage Museum (Transferring institution) on September 14, 2022
What
Who
- Culture
- Bamana
- Previous Owner
- Okanagan Heritage Museum
- Received from
- Okanagan Heritage Museum (Transferring institution)
Where
- Holding Institution
- MOA: University of British Columbia
- Made in
- Mali
When
- Ownership Date
- before September 14, 2022
- Acquisition Date
- on September 14, 2022
Other
- Condition
- good
- Accession Number
- 3595/0013