Headdress (chi wara)
Headdress (chi wara)
Attribution: Museum-publishedProvenance: Museum accession
Attribution follows a published museum catalogue or peer-reviewed scholarship. Object is held in a public collection under a published accession number.
Chi wara—a mythical “farming beast”—was said to teach farming to the Bamana people. Carved patterns cover this female chi wara’s body, highlighting its muscles and emphasizing that it is no earthly animal, but rather an agricultural spirit that combines human, antelope, and anteater elements. This example emphasizes vertical space, with a kneeling human figure on the back. The figure is adorned with imported beads as well as small shells. Accompanied by women’s songs, male performers danced paired male-and-female chi wara headdresses affixed to basketry caps at agricultural competitions and weddings.
Catalogued by Cleveland Museum of Art as “Headdress (chi wara)”, dated early 1900s. Harvested from the museum’s open-access record; every field below is copied from that record and none of it has been inferred.
Record
| People / culture | Bamana |
|---|---|
| Country | Mali |
| Common name | Headdress (chi wara) |
| Form category | Headdress or crest worn atop the head |
| Materials | Wood, metal, glass beads, seashells, string, and probably tar |
| Dimensions | Overall: 45.2 x 4.8 x 12.4 cm (17 13/16 x 1 7/8 x 4 7/8 in.) |
Provenance
Julius Carlebach, NY (no earlier than 1939)
Katherine White Reswick (aka Katherine C. White) (?-1962)
| Collection | Cleveland Museum of Art |
|---|---|
| Accession number | 1962.307 |
Source
Cleveland Museum of Art, Headdress (chi wara), accession 1962.307. https://clevelandart.org/art/1962.307
https://clevelandart.org/art/1962.307
This record is a catalogue entry, not an appraisal, valuation or legal determination. Nothing here should be read as evidence that an object was lawfully acquired or exported.