“Chi Wara” means “farming beast” and epitomises the qualities of the ancient beings who brought agriculture to the Bamana. Young men dance with Chi Wara crests when they have completed an initiation cycle, to demonstrate their new-found status and their potential to farm and provide for a family. Their performances are believed to increase the
possibility of a good harvest in the dry season, and therefore to ensure
the perpetuation of the community as a whole.
