The Bamana, often also called Bambara, are one of the main peoples of Mali, tied above all to farming in the savannahs along the Niger River. Their traditional religious life is organised around a system of initiation societies, called jow (singular jo), which accompany the individual from boyhood to maturity. Among the most celebrated expressions of this world are the elegant antelope-shaped sculptures known as ciwara.
The jow societies
The French scholar Dominique Zahan, who devoted extensive research to Bamana thought, described a sequence of six great male initiation societies, through which a man followed a path of progressive knowledge:
| Society | Main sphere |
|---|---|
| N'domo | initiation of uncircumcised boys, discovery of the person |
| Komo | knowledge, judgement, protection of the community |
| Nama | protection against harmful forces |
| Kono | moral order and memory |
| Ciwara | working the land and agriculture |
| Kore | final stage, linked to the fullness of knowledge |
This sequence should be understood as an interpretive model: in reality, the presence and importance of the various societies varied from region to region and village to village. One central idea remains, however: for the Bamana, knowledge is a path travelled by degrees, through trials, secrets and teachings.
The N'domo
The N'domo society concerns boys before circumcision. Its masks, whose faces are topped by a row of vertical horns, represent the different aspects of the person. The N'domo teaches the young the first foundations of social life and of the relationship with the invisible world.
The Komo
The Komo is one of the most powerful and feared societies. It is traditionally led by blacksmiths, regarded as holders of special knowledge because of their work with iron and fire. Komo masks are very different from the elegant ciwara sculptures: they have elongated animal forms, with horns, quills, feathers and surfaces covered in layers of materials applied during ceremonies. They are not made to be beautiful, but to command respect: they make a force visible.
Also linked to the Komo are the boli (plural boliw), massive objects, sometimes animal-like in shape, built by accumulating different materials. Like Komo masks, they are regarded as containers of power and were not shown to the uninitiated.
The ciwara: the antelope who taught farming
According to Bamana tradition, at the beginning of time a mythical being, half human and half antelope, called Ciwara, taught human beings to cultivate the land. Its name is often interpreted as «wild animal of farming» or «champion of agriculture».
Ciwara sculptures are headdresses: they do not cover the face, but are fastened to the top of the dancer's head by means of a small basketry cap. The rest of the body is hidden by a costume of black plant fibres, which according to some interpretations evokes the rain and water needed for crops to grow.
The dance in pairs
Ciwara are danced in pairs, male and female:
- the male has long horns and an openwork mane, often zigzag, which some readings link to the path of the sun;
- the female has straight horns and often carries a young one on her back, a symbol of fertility and the continuity of generations.
The pair represents the union of sun and earth, male and female, without which no harvest is possible. The dancers, bent forward, imitate the antelope's leaps and movements, while women sing and encourage the young farmers.
The dances took place during work in the fields and at contests between young farmers, to celebrate those who worked with the greatest strength and perseverance. The ciwara rewarded effort and reminded everyone that working the land is a sacred inheritance received from the mythical ancestors.
The styles
Scholars distinguish several regional styles:
- the vertical style, with tall, slender horns, widespread in the Bamako region;
- the horizontal style, with the animal's body stretched out;
- an abstract style, in which the antelope's forms are simplified until they become almost geometric.
From field to museum
Ciwara sculptures have become among the best known in African art and have influenced artists and designers worldwide. Their image even appears as an emblem of institutions and products in Mali. But outside their ritual context they lose their voice: a ciwara is not an object for contemplation, but a force that dances in the fields together with the community.
In short
- The traditional religious life of the Bamana is organised in initiation societies called jow.
- The N'domo initiates boys; the Komo, led by blacksmiths, guards knowledge and protection.
- Komo masks and boli are containers of power, not works to be admired.
- According to tradition the ciwara, half human and half antelope, taught agriculture.
- Ciwara headdresses are danced in pairs, male and female, as the union of sun and earth.
