bamana 11 headdress

Ci Wara Headress This light and airy headdress is a classic example of the three- tiered group of Ci Wara compositions created in Mali's southern Bougouni region. comprising of three vertical superimposed registers each featuring a different animal, the bottom level depicts an aardvark (Orycterus afer), the middle a pangolin (Manis tricuspis), and the summit features the horns of the roan antelope (Hippotragus equinus). The space between the two upper registers is filed with a zigzag pattern terminating in a line in an acute angle suggesting a bolt of lightning. The whole composition of this nearly 100 years old headdress - (IR spectroscopy) excludes an aura of classical beauty and serenity.