Cimier de danse antilope "tjiwara"

wood, rich blackish brown patina, sticky sacrificial patina in some areas, brass tags, cuff from metal sheet, horizontal type with long backswept horns, remains of ornament (red fibre), flat incised diamond-shaped ornaments and notched patterns on the body, fixed on flat cap from fine plaited rattan (dam.), minor missing parts (base), on small wooden plate;
"tijwara" masks are danced in male-female pairs. They accompany workers into communal fields, praising and challenging the young men. They also entertain at hoeing contests that recognize a champion farmer. The dancers are male, but they are joined by young women, who fan the "tijwara" to diffuse the power "nyama" that the beasts are believed to emit. The dancers hunch over and lean on canes that evoke forelegs, their movements mimicking an antelope's.