Zoomorphic Mask

Origin: Bobo Tribe, Burkina Faso
Composition: wood, pigment dyes

This is another in a group of outstanding masks of the Bobo, Bwa, and Nuna tribes that stylize animal faces and apply extraordinary design techniques to make the untamed spirits of the bush come alive and bring protection to the villages. The animal spirits often invoked include crocodiles, buffalo, hyenas, monkeys, rams and gazelles, and often, elements of many different animals will be incorporated in one mask. This mask was purchased directly from the tribe on a field collecting trip to Burkina Faso in 2007, and shows excellent signs of age.

The 100,000 Bobo people live in eastern Burkina Faso. They are primarily farmers whose lives are regulated by a council of elders. Their lives are dominated by the rhythm of the seasons - during the dry season in particular, when the fields are fallow, is when the masquerades are held. Most of their masks symbolize animals and spirits, and are worn during initiation ceremonies and festivals celebrating crops and agricultural prosperity (Ref: Bacquart, Tribal Arts of Africa).