Abstract Helmet Mask with Horns

Origin: Bwa Tribe, Burkina Faso
Composition: wood (one piece), paint, pigment dyes

SUJARO acquired this wonderful and mysterious mask while on a field collecting trip to Burkina Faso in 2007. It is quite unlike other Bwa masks that we have seen in published materials, and its exact function and meaning remain a mystery. It was likely used either in initiation ceremonies or festivals honoring the agricultural cycle and spirits of the untamed bush, as are most other Bwa masks. Its features are also very similar to Winiama tribe masks, who are eastern neighbors of the Bwa.

The Bobo and Bwa of Burkina Faso (formerly Upper-Volta), Ghana and Togo cultivate millet and cotton, and rear cattle in the northern savannah regions. Their religious activities are dictated by the rhythm of the seasons- during the dry season in particular, when the fields are fallow, large festivals and ceremonies are organized (Ref: Bacquart, Tribal Arts of Africa).