2245A

African Hand Carved Wood Bamana Antelope Headdress

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles Start Price:250.00 USD Estimated At:350.00 - 500.00 USD
African Hand Carved Wood Bamana Antelope Headdress
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From the Proctor Collection we have a Vintage African Hand Carved Wood Bamana Antelope Headdress, measures 41''H x 14''W, base is cracked, The tji wara society members use a headdress representing, in the form of an antelope, the mythical being who taught men how to farm. The word tji means ''work'' and wara means ''animal,'' thus ''working animal.'' There are antelopes with vertical or horizontal direction of the horns. In the past the purpose of the tji wara association was to encourage cooperation among all members of the community to ensure a successful crop. In recent time, however, the Bamana concept of tji wara has become associated with the notion of good farmer, and the tji wara masqueraders are regarded as a farming beast. The Bambara sponsor farming contests where the tji wara masqueraders perform. Always performing together in a male and female pair, the coupling of the antelope masqueraders speaks of fertility and agricultural abundance. Read more about it at http://www.randafricanart.com/Bamana_vertical_Tji-wara_pair.html