Mask Ensemble
Mossi Artist
Burkina Faso

Details
Title
Mask Ensemble
Artist/Maker
Mossi Artist (Burkina Faso)
Date
Twentieth century
Medium
Wood, fiber, white pigment, and medicine bag
Dimensions
82 x 24 x 22 inches
Credit
The Lenore and Burton Gold Collection of Twentieth-Century Art
Accession #
1992.224
On View
Currently not on view
Masquerade serves as a means of connecting Mossi communities to the world of their ancestors and to the mythic origins of each lineage. Performances take place on various occasions including funerals and initiations. Although the masks represent both male and female characters, only men perform the masks. This mask type belongs to a category known as gur-wando, from the eastern Mossi region, and represents a male character named wan-zago. This character is identified by the white pigment on the mask and its hemp costume. The masked personage typically carries a knife or whip and a bag of strong, traditional medicine is suspended from his headdress. Mossi masks such as this one embody divine forces that are deeply revered.
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