African art and the founding myths of Bambara In central and southern Mali, this abstract sculpture symbolizes the horse-antelope Ciwara ("wild beast of the earth") which, for the Bambara, Bamana " or "unbelievers", as the Muslims called them, would have taught agriculture to the man. She would also have offered him the first cereal. The crest mask is attached by ties to a deep hat in basketwork stretched with canvas and extended with raffia. Matte brown patina. Worn on the top of the head, these crests accompanied the dancers during the rituals of the tòn, an association dedicated to agricultural work. The masks roamed the field by leaping in order to drive out the nyama, evil scents, and to detect any danger, or to flush out the evil spirits that could delight the soul of the cultivated plants as well as the life force of their seeds.
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