Masked performer wearing vertical Chi wara headdress, Bougouni village, Mali

"In the Bamana world, objects such the antelope headdresses always come in pairs -one male and one female- symbolizing the union of mythical half-animal, half-human beings that taught their ancestors to farm, and the productive union of men and women throughout time." [Wooten S., 2004: Where is my Mate? The Importance of Complementarity: A Bamana Headdress (Ciwara). See the Music, Hear the Dance, Prestel]. During his trip to Mali, Elisofon visited the village of Bougouni, in the Bamana region. This photograph was taken when Eliot Elisofon traveled to Africa from March 17, 1970 to July 17, 1970.