Antelope headdress. Wooden carving depicting two antelope-like animals. The smaller animal is standing on the back of the larger, which is standing on a rectangular base. The faces of the animals are decorated with incised lines and triangles, while the horns have incised curved lines. Each animal has protruding eyes, with holes on either side of the face bored through the wood.

• Narrative

  Purchased by the Kelowna Museum (now the Okanagan Heritage Museum) from Mr and Mrs Henry Hildebrand in 1982.

• History Of Use

  Chi Wara (or Tyi Wara, etc.) headdresses are made to be danced as a pair (male and female) at harvest festivals to honour Chi Wara, a half human half antelope mythical being who taught agriculture to the ancestors of the Bamana people. The headdresses embody the ingredients necessary for successful cultivation, their long horns representing the tall growth of millet. The headdress is attached to a wicker cap, which is strapped around the chin of a dancer.

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• Type of Item headdress
• Culture Bamana
• Material wood, stain
• Measurements height 73.5 cm, width 23.7 cm, depth 6.1 cm (overall)

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• Previous Owner Okanagan Heritage Museum
• Received from Okanagan Heritage Museum

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• Made in Mali

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• Ownership Date before September 14, 2022
• Acquisition Date on September 14, 2022

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• Condition good
• Accession Number 3595/0013