This mask is worn with prestigious elements such as a tie dyed indigo blue and white tunic, white cotton cloth trimmed with the fur of the rare Colobus monkey, beaded vest, wide beaded belts and a horsetail fly whisk with a beaded figurative handle. During biennial celebrations the mask is worn with other symbols of the kingdom's wealth. The members of the society meet regularly on a particular day of the eight day week. The dance they perform is done in a slow procession around the dancing field carrying spears, horsetail fly whisk and waved poles, while they whistle mysteriously. Only a drum and iron gong provide the background music.
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Both males and females take part in the dancing of the Chi Wara. Men are responsible for preparing the headdress, dressing the dancers and dancing, while the women wash the costumes, provide the beads to decorate the headdress, and sing. Two champion farmers are chosen to dance the headdress. Each carries two sticks to simulate the forelegs of an antelope, they are accompanied by a chorus of female singers who sing the praises of the champion farmers. Each dancer also has a special female partner who repeats his steps behind him while waving a fan over the headdress to diffuse the power it emits. As the rhythm of the drums increase the dance becomes more intense. The dancers imitate the bounding leaps of the antelope and the animals fierce energy. The movement of the dance are repeated by the bending movements of the workers who are being encouraged by the rhythm of the drums and the praise songs of the chorus.
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The dancer, wearing the mask and the long raffia costume, imitates the movements of a hawk in flight. He rotates the mask around his face while swooping vigorously from side to side. The hawk mask is very large and therefore the dancer must hold the mask in his hands even though it is secured to his head with a rope. These mask are so large because it is believed that the larger the mask, the more control the dancer and his family have over the spirit's forces that protect and bless.
The hawk mask is owned by the dancer and his family and is kept at the family's home. When the owner of the mask dies the mask is passed to his son or retired to the lineage's spirit house. If a diviner prescribes a hawk mask to the family years later, the old mask is taken to a blacksmith and a new mask is created in the same form as the old one. The old mask can then be sold in the antique markets.
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