Bamana Hunting Jacket with Cowrie Shells and Leather Amulets Tunic Mali

Bamana hunting regalia are among the most admired and collected objects of West African material culture, valued for both their aesthetic richness and deep ritual significance. This particular hunter’s tunic exemplifies the intricate and symbolic artistry characteristic of Bamana warrior attire. Adorned with numerous small mirrors and leather talismanic packets—often containing esoteric substances or Qur’anic verses—such garments were believed to provide both spiritual protection and physical success in the hunt or in combat.

Within Bamana cosmology, the wilderness occupies a dual role: it is at once perilous and sacred, a realm teeming with both material sustenance and metaphysical power. The amulets sewn onto the tunic function as protective devices, charged with meaning known only to the hunter who wears them. They act as mediators between the visible and invisible worlds, ensuring the wearer’s safety while affirming his intimate relationship with the spiritual forces of the bush.

We do not recommend laundering textiles and do not accept returns of textiles that have been laundered in any manner. Even dry cleaning is too much for some of these antique textiles. For some of them, a very gentle HAND washing (NEVER MACHINE, on any setting) in cool water with a very gentle detergent works, but even then, dyes may not be colorfast, and fabric may be less strong than it appears.

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