Early 20th Century Chiwara Headdress, Bamana 'Bambara' People, Mali

Add a piece of African history to your home. This is large and evocative of ancient times and ceremonies. Weathered wood mask fragment, Bambara people, Mali, Africa, late 19th-early ...

Tribal Early 20th Century Ceremonial Pipe, Bamoun People, Cameroon A ceremonial tobacco pipe fashioned of hardened clay depicting three bearded men, the center figure with arms on c...

Bambara Standing male figure with powerful shoulders, arms at sides and large feet. From Mali, Africa It is in good condition with wear, polish and erosion from traditional use, appropriate for its age, use, and medium. Scuffs and nicks here and there. Age, wear and staining inside. On vintage wood block...

Offered by Zena Kruzick Early 20th century tribal sanggori brass or copper alloy head ornament, Toraja people, Sulawesi, Indonesia. These sinuous brass and copper alloy head piec...

A very pleasing Ciwara crest, singularly small and accompanied by its original headdress, depicting a stylized antelope leaning on a pangolin. The antelope is ridden by a woman, and white horsehair has been added to the tips of the horns. The piece is carefully sculpted, with notches decorating the bodies of the antelope and the pangolin. Rattan, plant fiber, cowries, wood Very fine velvety mat patina, Circa 1950 An animal called Ciwara is said to have taught the Bambara how to cultivate the land, and during agrarian ceremonies, they recall the myth through the stylized representation of an antelope whose name ci wara...

Bamana old original pair Chi Wara headdress. Chi Wara (Antelope Headdress.) The dry savanna permits no more than a subsistence economy and the soil produces,...

Bamana N'tomo mask, Mali, 20th century "Generally surmounted by three to eight horns forming a comb, the N'tomoface mask refers to a moment of compulsory education given to uncircumcised young boys in certain West African societies. The mask's discreet, even absent, mouth emphasizes the behavior expected of them in their future adult life after training: controlling and measuring their words, knowing how to keep quiet, preserving secrets and enduring pain in silence." Excerpt from Masques du N'tomo, Marc Ladreit de Lacharrière Collection, Musée du Quai Branly Jacques Chirac, France. The Bambara, or Bamana, live in central and southern Mali. Their name means “unbeliever” and was given to them by the Muslims. Animists, they believe in the existence of a creator god called Ngala, who maintains the order of the universe and coexists with another androgynous god called Faro, master of the Word, who gave all qualities to mankind and makes the fruits of the earth grow. Traditional Bamana art objects are closely linked to agrarian rites. The Bamana dance these masks during initiation and circumcision ceremonies for young boys in the Ntomo society. The face, with its vertical outgrowths at the top, adopts geometric features beneath a rounded forehead, including an imposing busted nose, as the Bamana favor this organ in their statuary as it evokes sociability and clan cohesion. Indeed, during choreography, the dancer frequently touches the nose of the mask. As teaching aids for candidates, masks from societies accessible to young boys and adults, such as the N'tomo, Korè and Ci wara...

Showing a crescent shaped headrest braced by flattened 'V' shaped supports rising from a cupped base, decorated overall with hand carved linear motifs and exhibiting an old rubbed su...