Early 20th Century African art. To the Bamana people, farming is the most important and noblest profession. The "female" Chi-Wara headdress, representing the earth, always accompanies the male headdress during the harvest dances. This pieces are created honoring Chi-Wara, the mythical "farming animal" that taught agriculture to the ancestors of the Bamana. The headdresses, always danced in male and female pairs, depict the antelope-like Chi-Wara and display the ingredients of successful cultivation. The long horns of the Chi Wara stand for the tall growth of millet. The zigzag pattern carved along the body symbolizes the sun's path along the horizon between the two solstices. Antique Ethnographic Art and Tribal Collectibles.