Koni koun headdress

Inspired by the Bamana mythical ancestor Ci Wara, koni koun headdresses represent the convergence of the ci wara headdress genre with important elements of other distinct regional performance traditions. Like ci wara antelope headdresses, koni koun are relatively two-dimensional sculptures, whose pierced geometric designs create a rhythmic alternation of solid forms and open spaces. Both types of headdresses have a wooden base that is attached to a basketry cap or fiber wig when worn. The koni koun differ from the more common antelope headdresses in the reduction of animal imagery to isolated details, such as the highly schematic antelope head and horns carved on either side of the house-like body.
Koni koun and ci wara coexist in many Bamana communities in Mali. The former developed as a discrete form of expression, distinguished by its own choreography, costuming, musical accompaniment, and lyrics. They are worn by young men newly admitted into Jo, an initiation society practiced among the southern Bamana. The new initiates are divided into groups that travel to nearby villages and towns to perform songs and dances that proclaim their status as society members. Their performances may also feature carved wood female figures (nyeleni), which are carried by the dancers or are placed near them on the ground. These sculptures usually have flattened, squared-off chest and shoulders, conical breasts, and pole-like torsos, as seen on the half-figure surmounting this koni koun headdress. By opposing the figure's front-facing chest with the broad, flat side of the arched form below—and by balancing her outspread arms with the forward and backward thrust of the curved antelope horns—the carver has created a sculpture that is more complex and three-dimensional than other examples of this type.