Headdress (ci wara)
20th century, 1950–2000
Object PlaceMali
Medium/TechniqueWood, basketry, beads, string
DimensionsOverall: 39.8 x 21.5 x 52 cm (15 11/16 x 8 7/16 x 20 1/2 in.)
Credit LineGift of Geneviève McMillan in memory of Reba Stewart
Accession number2009.2675
On View
Not on viewClassificationsSculpture
Collections
Most collections formed after World War II contain antelope headdresses-iconic works of African art. They were 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. This headdress, inserted into a basketry cap, depicts a female antelope, anteater, or pangolin (a type of anteater). According to Bamana thought, both animals and the snake taught men the art of farming, for they knew the secrets of the earth.
Provenance1960s, acquired in Bamako, Mali, by Geneviève 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)
Artist Unidentified
20th century
early 20th century
Late 19th century
early 20th century
20th century
20th century