Originally the Chiwara farming society existed to ensure cooperation within the community so that the crops would be successful, but in recent times the organization has also become associated with the custom of honoring the village's best farmers. 20 Every year, the men of the village compete in intense and rigorous hoeing competitions to determine which individuals are most skilled in agriculture. The champions gain the honor of wearing the sacred headdress and costume and performing before the village. During the ritual, these men dance to honor the mythical Chiwara who taught mankind how to cultivate and then left earth for the spirit world.

The Chiwara celebration is highly complex and is one of the most important rituals for the Bamana. Two dancers, like those pictured here, begin their performance in the fields around the village. They are accompanied by several drummers who set the pace of the dance with the rhythms that they play. In addition, the women of the village sing songs of praise for Chiwara. In their hands, the masqueraders often carry two long sticks that represent the forelegs of an antelope. During the performance, the dancers mimic the movements of the antelope and those of the burrowing aardvark. Over the course of the day the procession makes its way to the village center where the festivities continue for many hours. 15 This movement from the wilderness to the town has symbolic meaning as it represents Chiwara's temporary return to the human world to bless the harvests.