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segoni-kun
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Mali: Bambara segoni-kun Chiwara headdress
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Mali: Bambara segoni-kun
Mali: Bambara segoni-kun Bambara segoni-kun, made from wood and fibre, Mali.

segoni-kun

African mask
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Article History

segoni-kun, mask derived from the antelope form, worn by a member of the Tyiwara society of the Bambara tribe in West Africa. Believed to have great power over agricultural fertility, the spirit of the tyi-wara (work animal) was thought to be embodied in the stylized segoni-kun masks, which were worn by Tyiwara dancers—on top of the head, affixed to a woven raffia cap—who impersonated the graceful movements of the antelope at cultivation ceremonies.

Chiwara headdress
Chiwara headdressBambara dance headdress of wood in the form of an antelope, representing the spirit Chiwara, who introduced agriculture; from Mali. These headdresses, attached to a wickerwork cap, are worn by farmers who, at the time of planting and harvest, dance in imitation of leaping antelope. In the National Museum, Copenhagen. Height 50 cm.

The varieties of the mask are numerous; while none is exactly alike, all are stylistically similar. Each is highly sculptural and dramatic in motion. The head, neck, and horns of the antelope are emphasized, the animal’s body being treated in a less-expressive way. The repetition of decorative patterns, characteristic of the Bambara style, is found on even the most highly abstracted segoni-kun mask.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Kathleen Kuiper.