Burkino Faso, Bwa(or Nuna?) People
Early 20th century
Wood and pigment, 50.25" long
Large geometric constructions of wood are common in the masks of
the Western Sudan, and are often painted with the red, black, and
white pigments seen in this example. The masks of the Bwa people are
usually round, oval or triangular in shape are often surmounted by
towering superstructures; the distinctive horizontal form of this
mask is rare in African masquerades.
It is not known precisely why the butterfly is the subject of a mask,
and it may be the only insect represented among the great variety of
West African mask types. There may be some connection to the
profusion of butterflies which appear each spring in western Africa,
since the butterfly is featured in an annual spring festival to
encourage human and agricultural fertility. Members of the
secret Do society wear these masks during a dance
intended to imbue the soils with the potency necessary to support the
crops which will sustain life for the coming year. The hook which
protrudes from the center of the face has been identified both as the
nose of the creature and as a device used to impale malevolent
spirits which may be lurking in the village. The zig-zag pattern
which frames the face probably has symbolic significance and may be a
variant on the checkerboard, a common motif in Bwa sculpture, which
alludes to the opposition of good and evil.