Headdress

Item number 3595/12 from the MOA: University of British Columbia.

Public

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Data
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Description

Antelope headdress. Wooden carving depicting an antelope-like animal with a large head, neck, horns, and small body and legs on a rectangular base. The body and legs are smooth, while the neck, head, and horns are decorated with incised lines and shapes. In the centre of the neck, triangles are bored through the wood. Curved shapes stick out from the back of the neck, resembling fur or a mane. The front of the neck has a u-shape bored through the wood. Two metal hooks are attached to the wood on the same side; one on the animal's ear and the other on the side of the animal's body. There are two square-shaped holes bored through the base.

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