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Headdress (ciwara)
Bamana
20th century
Object Place: Mali
Medium/Technique
wood, metal
Dimensions
Overall: 32.4 x 8 x 59.5 cm (12 3/4 x 3 1/8 x 23 7/16 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of Geneviève McMillan in memory of Reba Stewart
Accession Number2009.2573
NOT ON VIEW
CollectionsContemporary Art, Africa and Oceania
ClassificationsMasks
Antelope headdresses are part of a mask belonging to the members of the ci wara association, which initiates young men into adult tasks, among them the cultivation of the fields. The antelope is an important figure in the agricultural life of the Bamana and was responsible for teaching men the art of farming. Ci wara masquerades appeared at agricultural competitions, annual celebrations, and for public entertainment.
ProvenanceGeneviève McMillan (b. 1922 - d. 2008), Cambridge, MA; 2008, to the Geneviève McMillan and Reba Stewart Foundation, Cambridge; 2009, gift of the Geneviève McMillan and Reba Stewart Foundation to the MFA. (Accession Date: June 17, 2009)