York's Shona Gallery presents the "Large Mossi Tribe Mask" by the Mossi tribe of Burkina Faso. A small carved face sits at the base of a towering, narrow plank covered in black and white zigzags and diamonds.
The mask is hand carved from wood and was made in 1947. Because of its grandiose size, this type of mask is extremely rare, if not impossible, to acquire.
It instantly makes an impact on a room with high ceilings. The mask is believed to contain the snake spirit, which brings fertility. Its geometric patterns are a symbolic language that initiates can read, conveying moral lessons and the history of the group.
