A male Chi Wara (antelope) mask from the Bambara peoples, Mali at the current Smithsonian Museum of African Art show "Artful Animals." Wood - 20th Century. Gift of Walt Disney-Tishman African Art Collection. "...While there are several versions of the story, the discovery of agriculture is credited to the hero Chi Wara, a half antelope, half human figure born from the union of the sky goddess Mousso Koroni and an earth spirit in the shape of a cobra. The Chi Wara came to earth to teach humans to sow crops, and thus is honored at both sowing and harvest festivals. ..." Wikipedia, Chi Wara (2009) I call this digital photograph, taken in August 2009: "Chi Wara."
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	A female Chi Wara mask from the same collection. I call this photograph, taken at the same time: "Chi Wara - 2." Chi Wara masks were worn over a shrouded head as part of a pre-Islamic agricultural fertility rite open to both men and women. I have seen similar depictions on prehistoric rock art in the Algerian desert - the "Tassili Frescoes." (See page 55 of this site). In "The search for the Tassili Frescoes: The rock paintings of the Sahara," by Henri Lhote (1959) there are depictions of Sable Antelopes (plates 15, II) and various horned head-dresses (plates 22, 25, 37, 48, 77) - usually combined in a dance motif.
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First posted: 9/09/2009