York's Shona Gallery presents "Mask". This mask was made by hand in 1957 by the Mossi tribe of Burkina Faso. It features a small face with a beak-like nose that sits at the base of a long, tapering plank covered in white ovals and circles on black.
The Mossi use masks at burials, funerals, and initiations, and at annual year-end ancestral sacrifices. They represent spirits from the wild bush areas surrounding the village, which may appear to humans as animals. When masks are not being worn in performances, they are placed on ancestral shrines in the kimse roogo, or ancestral spirit house of the family that owns them. The spirits protect the family from disease, accident, natural disaster, drought, infertility, and generally ensure success in their life.
At 72" tall, it makes a memorable impression. It is lightweight and can be mounted on the wall or displayed on the custom mask stand included with your purchase.
