Bwa. PLANK MASK - BWA - BURKINA FASO. An exceptional and elegant mask from of Bwa people of Burkina Faso in West Africa. Circa 20th Century. 81 inches tall, 10 inches wide, about 9 inches deep at the mask (lower 12 3/4 inches), with the "head-dress" portion about 3/4 inch in thickness, the whole carved from a single board. In excellent condition. The mask was presented to its American liaison officer by the Burkina Faso team at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. The thinness and lightness of the piece indicates it was made for and used in dance ceremonies rather than as an export or tourist piece, which are often too heavy to be used for dancing. Most of the modern masks of this type which we have seen are more brightly colored, less elegantly proportioned, and not as skillfully carved as this example. Masks play an important role in the renewal ceremonies of the Bwa. The masks are danced during initiation ceremonies for young men and women, and appear at funerals and memorial services. They are also danced during the harvest ceremonies. During the fifteen day initiation ceremony, young petitioners are taught the meanings of the symbols on the mask. They learn the importance of becoming a respected Bwa, and the dangers of straying from the path of social behavior established by the ancestors. These lessons are symbolically represented on the mask. The double zig-zag line on the plank of the mask represents the path of the ancestors. The crescent shape on the top of the plank represents the moon, and the importance of time in the ceremonial year when masks are danced. The checkerboard pattern on the back of the mask represents the value of learning. When young initiates graduate from the ceremony, they are given a new white goat hide to sit on during ceremonies. Years later, the young initiate becomes an elder and the hide ages to a dark color. The checkerboard pattern emphasizes the reliance between the elders, symbolized by the dark areas, and the young initiates, symbolized by the light areas. (Minneapolis Institute of Art).
