York's Shona Gallery presents "Mask" by the Mossi tribe of Burkina Faso. This lightweight mask is long with a pointed oval face, a bold cross, white and brown triangles, and a long tassel of jute fiber.
The Mossi use masks at burials, funerals, initiations and annual year-end ancestral sacrifices. They represent spirits from the wild bush areas surrounding the village. When not in use, the masks are placed on ancestral shrines in the family's spirit house, where the spirits protect the family and ensure success in life.
