Malian Bambara Ci Wara Headdress

Carved to honor the mythical being Ci Wara, a Bambara deity that’s half mortal and half animal, this wooden headdress combines the graceful head and horns of an antelope with the compact body of an anteater. Credited with the discovery of agriculture, Ci Wara is invoked in performances that celebrate the act of farming and the fruits of harvest. Alongside a female counterpart, this male Ci Wara headdress would have been worn by a male dancer to encourage and praise the efforts of Bambara farmers as they worked in the fields. We’re struck by the Ci Wara’s abstract geometry and its compelling interplay of positive and negative space.