261122 - Antique Important and large initiation mask of the Mossi -Burkina Faso.
Extremly Rare Antique Important and large initiation Ouagadougou mask of the Mossi - Burkina Faso.
Size : 69 cm high. Wood, patina of use, traces of pigments and kaolin.
This mask is dated first half of the 20th century and comes with a certificate of authenticity.
Collected by a Frenche engineer in 1942.
The blacksmiths (Saaba) use various masks (*wando*, singular *wango*), which they display during the annual commemoration of the dead and keep, for the remainder of the time, on an altar dedicated to the ancestral spirits. Depending on the region, the masks exhibit different influences. Consequently, five styles are distinguished, named after the Mossi kingdoms: Ouagadougou, Yatenga, Risiam, Kaya, and Boulsa. This face mask belongs to the Ouagadougou style, which bears a striking resemblance to the works of the Lela and Nuna (Gurunsi)—neighboring peoples who are also among the original inhabitants of the southwestern and central regions of the Mossi territory. In addition to numerous zoomorphic types, this style includes anthropomorphic masks that represent an albino (*wan-mwega*).