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Hover to zoom Plank Mask, a Bwa plank mask carved from wood in Burkina Faso, with two crocodiles carved on a tall board above a round face

Burkina Faso, West Africa · Bwa Tribe

Plank Mask

Name: Plank Mask
Brand: York's Shona Gallery
SKU: M005
Price: 2250.00 USD
Availability: InStock

Piece #M005 · Year Made: 1963

$2,250

Shipping individually quoted

Origin

Burkina Faso, West Africa

Period

Mid-20th Century

Medium

Hand Carved Wood

Length

11"

Width

8"

Height

79"

Details & Materials

York's Shona Gallery presents the "Plank Mask" by the Bwa tribe of Burkina Faso. This mask features a round face with concentric circle eyes and a long nose that sits at the base of a tall plank carved in dense geometric patterns.

The most remarkable characteristic of these masks are the geometric patterns that cover them. These patterns constitute a system of signs that communicate the rules for correct moral behavior and the conduct of life for the followers of the small-scale religious associations that are focused on each spirit. These symbols are explained to young men and women alike during initiation. Each has an individual meaning, a second meaning in association with other patterns, and a meaning that varies with the level of knowledge of the initiate. The geometric patterns incised on masks are called "scars" by the Bwa Tribe, and they are identical to the scars worn by the men and women in the community (see third photo.)

Among the most common patterns is the system of parallel zig-zags, which is called "the path of the ancestors," and reminds those who see it that they must obey the rules established by the ancestors, do things as the ancestors did, in order to succeed. To follow the path of the ancestors shows respect for them, and they in turn act as mediators with the spirits of nature to provide their blessings over their descendants.

Condition: Excellent, not previously owned, undamaged
Sourcing: Fair Trade
Certificate of Authenticity: Available Upon Request
Provenance Report: Available Upon Request

Shipping

Buy now and leave the shipping to us. At checkout you pay for the piece plus a shipping deposit. We then plan the packing for your piece and email you the remaining shipping balance. This applies to both domestic and international orders. Every shipment is tracked, and most deliveries need a signature.

Domestic: 5-8 business days
International: 10-14 business days
White-glove delivery available on request

Care & Placement

Dust with a soft, dry cloth. Keep it out of direct sunlight, away from radiators, dampness, and any sudden change of temperature. Do not place in extremely cold areas. It is light enough to hang on a few nails

Authenticity guaranteed, every piece verified

Packed and shipped by our team, insured and tracked

New York City gallery, est. 1983

Origin

Burkina Faso

West Africa

"When I was first exposed to African art, I felt a deep connection to it. It is hard to explain. It resonates with me spiritually."

Michael, Founder

York's Shona Gallery was the first in New York City to bring African sculpture to American collectors. Every piece in our collection is acquired directly, ensuring authenticity and fair exchange with the artists and communities who create them.

Origin

Burkina Faso, West Africa

Tribe / Artist

Bwa Tribe

Medium

Hand Carved Wood

About the Tribe

Bwa Tribe

Mask

The Bwa people are from Burkina Faso. They typically make animal masks to enlist the power of the spirits who live in the forests, bush country, and rivers surrounding their villages. The masks make the spirits visible to them and put them in touch with another realm. Additionally, the masks depict spirits associated with powerful animals such as buffalo, antelopes, hawks, and fish. The masks are owned by families and clans who use them for protection. Zig-zag lines typically found in the Bwa’s artwork signify the “path of ancestors,” a moral path that is very difficult, but one every villager must follow to succeed in life. Dancing with such masks on market days, funerals, and initiation ceremonies honors the spirits and brings blessing to the community.

View all Bwa Tribe pieces

The Tradition

Masks of Africa

An African mask is made to be worn and danced. With a costume, music and movement, the carved face becomes a spirit or an ancestor, present for a time among the living.

Masks come out at the most important moments in the life of a village: funerals, harvests, and the ceremonies that mark young people becoming adults. They are worn by members of a society that keeps the mask, its dances and its meaning. Some masks are sacred, and others are made purely to entertain.

Each people has its own language of form. The Mossi and Bwa of Burkina Faso carve tall plank masks painted with bold patterns. Among the Dogon of Mali, masks are danced at the dama, the ceremony that ends mourning and sends the soul of the dead to join the ancestors. The Dan of Liberia and Ivory Coast give form to the spirits of the forest.

Every mask is carved by hand from a single piece of wood. Many are finished with paint, white clay, fiber, cloth, shells or metal, and the marks of use and age are part of the piece.

African masks helped change modern art. In Paris in 1907, Pablo Picasso studied African sculpture while painting Les Demoiselles d'Avignon, now at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, and the faces in it draw on African masks.

Today many people display a mask on an elegant stand at home or in the office, where a single piece gives a room character and a sense of the wider world.

We have proudly carried African masks in New York City since 1983.

Worn at: Funerals, harvests and initiations
Made from: Wood, often with paint, clay, fiber, cloth, shells or metal
Made for: Ceremony, dance and storytelling

A Bwa plank mask dancer in a fiber costume in Burkina Faso

A carver shaping a wooden mask with a mallet and chisel

A person seated wearing a tall carved mask, a mask hung on the wall behind

Some masks in our collection

Burkina Faso

Mossi

Tall masks with an antelope face and a plank above, tied to a clan and its founding animal

Burkina Faso

Bwa

Painted plank masks that show flying spirits, danced at funerals, harvests and initiations

Mali

Dogon

Danced at the dama, the ceremony that ends mourning and guides the dead to become ancestors

Gabon and Cameroon

Fang

Long pale faces made for the ngil society, which once acted as police and judges

Liberia and Ivory Coast

Dan

Masks that give form to forest spirits, with each performer called to his mask in a dream

Ivory Coast

Guro

Finely carved faces, often crowned with horns or a crest

Gabon and Congo

Kwele

Heart shaped faces with narrow eyes, carved to bring well being to the village

Ivory Coast and Ghana

Nafana

Large painted Bedu plank masks, danced during the Bedu festival

View all masks

Plank Mask

Burkina Faso

Bwa Tribe

Surfaces

Pedestal

Styled with and outdoors

Rooms

Masks of Africa

Plank Mask

Burkina Faso

Bwa Tribe

Surfaces

Pedestal

Styled with and outdoors

Rooms

Masks of Africa

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