Farmer's Syékele Mask

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

Wood masks of the type represented here are called syékele, and are carved by smiths, but owned by farmers. Aside from the long, trapezoidal face, triangular decoration, and thin, straight nose, there is much variation within the syékele mask style. Many, like this piece, have large plank superstructures that incorporate animal and geometric elements, and many also have large horns.

The triangular shapes on syékele masks are said to represent magical amulets (sebe). Prior to the 1960s, Bobo masks were painted only in traditional red, white, and black colors, but since then, brighter colors such as blue, yellow, green, and silver have been added to the pallet.

The primary context within which the Bobo use masks is male initiations. Each mask embodies the spirit of Dwo, one of the three sons of Wuro, the creator God.

The 200,000 Bobo people who live in an area around the city of Bobo-Dioulasso and to the north into Mali are one of the most important groups of people in Burkina Faso, from the point of view of cultural richness, history, and numbers. The Bobo are farmers, and farming is the only acceptable work for "traditional" Bobo men. Large numbers of smiths settled among the Bobo centuries ago, after being invited to live amongst the tribe. Both smiths and farmers use masks of wood, fiber, and leaves (Ref: Roy, "Land of the Flying Masks").