York's Shona Gallery presents the "Plank Mask.” It was made in 1962 by the Bwa tribe of Burkina Faso. It depicts a round face with concentric circle eyes, a large nose, and sits beneath a tall rectangular plank painted in red, white, and black zigzags, topped by a crescent.
The Plank Mask appears on several occasions throughout the course of the dry season in Burkina Faso, from October through May. It appears at funerals, adulthood initiations, and market day dances in front of a large audience in the community. These are not simply decorative masks, they serve as ‘secret signs’ in a language taught to initiants as they make the transition from childhood to adulthood.
