Masked performer wearing male Chi wara headdress, Bamako (national district), Mali

"The male ci wara headdress epitomizes what art historian Robert Goldwater describes as the 'vertical' style, one of the three distinctive regional idioms developed by Bamana blacksmiths that draw upon the form of the antelope to interpret the mythical figure Ci Wara. The soaring vertical axis of the male antelope's horns suggests power and grace. They angle ever so slightly as they rise, bending sharply at the summit in hooked tips. that upward movement is echoed by the ears, which are elongated, narrow vertical volumes. The rest of the headdress, in contrast, is wavy lines and rounded curves. Ci wara headdresses are often augmented with jewelry in anticipation of performances. James Brink comments that 'men are responsible for preparing the headdresses and dressing the performers; women take care of washing the costume and providing the jewelry that will make the headdresses beautiful'." [La Gamma A., 2002: Genesis: Ideas of Origin in African Sculpture. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Yale University Press, New Haven and London]. This photograph was taken when Eliot Elisofon was on assignment for Westinghouse Film and traveled to Africa from October 26, 1970 to end of March 1971.