Why did Bambara members of the Tyiwara society wear antelope masks when crops were sown?

Members of the Bambara Tyiwara society wear antelope masks, known as segoni-kun, to honor the mythical being Chiwara, who is believed to have taught humans the fundamentals of agriculture.123

According to Bambara legend, Chiwara used his antlers to dig into the earth and his hooves to cover seeds, demonstrating the techniques of cultivation to humans. When crops are sown, dancers from the society wear these stylized headdresses and perform in the fields to symbolize fertility, abundance, and gratitude for this ancestral knowledge. By impersonating the graceful movements of the antelope, the dancers seek to invoke the spirit of the work animal and ensure a bountiful harvest. The mask is considered a high honor, awarded to the most skilled and efficient farmers in the community.3214