Bamana Chi Wara – Segou-Koutiala Region

ITEM NAME:
Segou-Koutiala Region Bamana Chi Wara
ITEM #:
55040
ETHNICITY:
Bamana
ORIGIN:
Mali
MEDIUM:
Wood
DIMENSIONS:
23″ (58.4 cm) Tall.
CONDITION:
Very Good.

PROVENANCE:
Jean-Pierre Hallet Estate Collection – California, USA.

CATALOGUE NOTE:
Behold an extraordinary testament to the Bamana people’s reverence for ancestral tradition and agricultural prosperity. A majestic antelope headdress (Segou-Koutiala Chi Wara) emerges as the centerpiece, stemming from the time-honored six initiation societies of southwestern Mali. Each Bamana male would undertake this enlightening passage, culminating in profound wisdom of their forebearers.

Symbolism of Fertility and Harmony:

In the intricate dance of life and sustenance, this headdress of the fifth society, Chi Wara, takes center stage. Adorned masqueraders, in harmonious pairs representing the coupling of the sun and earth, performed to invoke the fertility essential to their lands.

Artifact of Myth and Earth:

Art reflects myth, with the representation of the male roan antelope—the heralded dega—embodying the era when humanity was bestowed with the seminal grain and tutelage in the arts of agriculture. This iconic symbol is vividly realized in the impressively carved antelope statuette, distinguished by its pronounced features and the elegant interplay of incised geometric patterns.

Tangible Link to the ‘Master of Antelopes’:

This sculpture, steeped in the Bamana Chi Wara masquerades’ legacy and still celebrated today in Bamana rural traditions, boasts a lineage from the ‘Master of Antelopes’. The finesse of the carvings—present in a naturalistically poised body—a distinguishable hand from a masterful artist active between the late 19th to the 1930s, whose workshop lay within Segou-Koutiala’s rich cultural sojourn.

From the Hallet Collection’s Treasures:

Gracing the collections of affinisados and discerning eyes, this piece is brought forth from the expansive vaults of the Jean-Pierre Hallet Collection. It speaks not merely of artistic heritage but of a deep-seated connection to the land and the cycles of nourishment it bestows upon those who cherish it.