Description
These headdresses were all worn by men in male-female pairs during performances celebrating the mythical farming beast named Chiwara, which introduced the Bamana people to agriculture. The rituals motivated young men to work hard. Each headdress combines the graceful horns of an antelope with the body of an aardvark. A young male calf sits upon the female’s back, symbolizing the fertile union of men and women and of the earth and the sun.
Provenance
Unknown dealer, Paris [personal communication from Hélène (ex-Kamer) Leloup, Oct. 1982, documented in curatorial file]; sold to Henri Kamer (died 1992) and Hélène (ex-Kamer) Leloup, Henri A. Kamer Gallery [Kamer Inc.], Paris, France, by 1965; sold to the Art Institute, 1965.
Accession Number
189595
Medium
Wood, metal, brass tacks, and grasses
Dimensions
Left: 98.4 × 40.9 × 10.8 cm (38 3/4 × 16 1/8 × 4 1/4 in.); Right: 79.4 × 31.8 × 7.6 cm (31 1/4 × 12 1/2 × 3 in.)
Classification
headdress - misc
Credit Line
The Art Institute of Chicago, Ada Turnbull Hertle Endowment