Bambara headdress mask from the tyi wara society (sold)

119 cm high reproduction of a male tyi wara mask. Carved by a Bambara artisan in wood, with brass plates, cowrie shells, leather and goat hair.

The fifth initiatic Bambara society is called "tyi wara", and teaches the relations between men and cosmos by means of agriculture.

The masks of the tyi wara society represent masculine and feminine antelopes. They are always danced together during ceremonies of sowing and harvesting. They symbolize the force and wisdom that the agriculturist needs to obtain foods from the earth.

During the dance, the tyi wara is placed on the head of the dancer with the help of a cap made with vegetal fibers. This cap holds the rafia that covers all his body.

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