Mask "nwenka" ·  Burkina Faso, Bobo · ID: 3037327

Description

wood, painted with white, red and indigo blue pigment, eyes and board-shaped superstructure in openwork design, painted with jagged patterns, slightly dam., minor missing parts (nose), cracks, rep. (with strips of animal skin), abrasion of paint;
the “nwenka” mask is one of the oldest and most sacred wooden masks that perform at Bobo masquerades. Tradition claims it dated from the time of creation when “wuro”, the Creator God, molded the world from moist clay and made creatures to inhabit it. The “nwenka” masked dance imitates “wuro’s” creating the world. The masks are worn with a costume of thick fibres.