Big board mask "karanga" · Burkina Faso, Mossi, Yatenga Style · ID: 3032150
Description
wood, matt patina, polychrome paint, oval facial plane with triangular see holes, head and horns of an antelope above the forehead, crowned by a high-towering stela in openwork design, carrying a triangle on top and thus reminding of sepulchral stelas, which are erected by the farmers of this area, rep., dam., missing parts, traces of insect caused damage and abrasion, cracks;
the “karansé” masks (sing. “karanga”) are additional fixed by a dowel, which is inserted through the sides of the mask and is gripped between the dancers teeth. The simple costume consists of shirt and trousers, with a belt of raphia fibres wrapped around. Within the old realm of Yatenga, around Ouahigouya, the masks face is formed concave, as is the case with present mask. The raised ridge dividing the face in two halves can be found there too. It may be assumed that there is an historical context between these „karansé“ masks and the very similar stelae masks of the Dogon, their direct neighbours in the northwest.
Comparing literature
Roy, Christopher D., Land of the flying masks, München 2007, ill. 119 Förster, Till, Skulptur in Westafrika, Freiburg im Breisgau 1995, p. 20 f.