Cultural context

Farming is greatly valued among the Bamana. It is considered the most important and noblest profession. The headdresses, always danced in male and female pairs, depict the antelope-like Chi-Wara and display the ingredients of successful cultivation.

The long horns of both male and female Chi-Wara stand for the tall growth of millet (an annual grass cultivated for its grains). In the male, the penis signifies the rooting of the grain. The female headdress represents the earth and the baby antelope carried on it's back symbolizes infant human beings. The long ears of the male Chi-Wara refer to the cultivators' listening to the songs sung by women who encourage the men while they work in the fields. The open, zigzag pattern in the neck symbolizes the sun's path along the horizon between the two solstices (the two times in the year when the sun is at its greatest distance from the celestial equator). Water is represented by the fiber costume (not shown in our example) attached to the headdress.

When danced by a pair of men chosen as exemplary farmers, the headdresses symbolically combine the elements the Bamana believe are necessary for good agriculture: sun, water, and a solid rooting of the plant in the earth.