Bwa Hawk Horizontal Mask Butterfly Burkina Faso African Art

Description

Type of Object
Mask
Country of Origin
Burkina Faso
People
Bwa
Materials
Wood, pigment, paint
Approximate Age
20th century
Height (in)
16
Width (in)
65
Depth (in)
8
Overall Condition
Good. Most of our pieces have spent decades on at least two continents, and have been treasured by several owners.   Small splits, scrapes and cracks are a normal part of their patina attesting to their age and extensive use.  We examine each piece carefully when we receive it and report any damage we find in our listings.  Please look carefully at the pictures which may also reveal condition and damage.
Damage/Repair
Repaired face horn
Additional Information:
A large horizontal winged wooden mask with in the center a head of a carved Hawk or Owl. This dramatic mask, painted on both sides, represents a bird with outstretched wings. It has become known, however, by collectors as the "butterfly" mask, and was danced by holding the mask by a rope attached to the back.
Danced by the Bwa represent protective spirits carved in animal forms, like the hawk. This horizontal hawk mask features a bird with large round mouth and a striking downward sloping "beak." The hawk's wings use geometric patterns and sharp color contrasts which refer to moral principles. These symbols represent the "path of the ancestors," a difficult experience which villagers must follow if they are to succeed in life.This type of mask is also found among the Nuna.
Such masks celebrate the spirit of the hawk in order to obtain protection and blessings, a graphic example of the animist beliefs still practiced in Burkina, despite the growing Muslim population. The dancer imitates the movements of a hawk in flight, rotating the mask around his face and swooping his body from side to side, accompanied by the beating of drums. The Bwa, and their neighbors the Nuna, who use similar masks, live in the arid savannas of south-central Burkina Faso. The Bwa are a small group, numbering around 300,000, and subsist primarily by farming. History recounts that the Bwa have been repeatedly attacked over the last few centuries by a succession of invaders, including the Bamana, and then later the Islamic Fulani and even the French. Somehow they have managed to hold together their rich tradition of animist rituals and colorful masked dances, and survive today in the arid Burkina environment that is their home.
Recommended Reading:
For some excellent information and photos, see BLACK AFRICA, by Laurie Meyer.
See also Christopher D. Roy , Thomas G.B. Wheelock, Land of the Flying Mask. Art and Culture in Burkina Faso. The Thomas G.B. Wheelock Collection, Prestel, 2007
**137262**
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