Bambara Ci Wara Antelope Headdress - Early 20thC Material - Catalpa Wood 108 x 7 x 200

108 x 7 x 200 (w x d x h cms)

Hand-thrown in stoneware

This is a fabulously large antique Chinese camphor trunk from the early 19th century

and a large motif-adorned backrest

its simple rectangular form is reinforced with traditional joinery

Bambara Ci Wara Antelope Headdress - Early 20thC Material - Catalpa Wood 108 x 7 x 200This beautifully carved headdress represents the Ci Wara, the male antelope mythical being of the Bambara (or Bamana) people of Mali. Ci Wara was half mortal and half animal and it is the belief that it was Ci Wara who first taught humans to cultivate and farm the lands around them. As humanity became more wasteful, legend has it that Ci Wara buried himself in earth. In memory of him, Bambara carve these headdresses which are power objects called boli