Mask "nwenka" ·  Burkina Faso, Bobo · ID: 3042036

Description

wood, traces of kaolin, red pigment and black paint, helmet-shaped corpus with pierced superstructure and elongated mask face, only small remains of original colourful painting preserved, slightly dam., crack;
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The “nwenka” mask is said to date from the time of creation, when “Wuro”, the Creator God, molded the world from moist clay and made the first humans. “Wuro” retreated from the world but left his three sons behind to help mankind. His most important son is “dwo”. The “nwenka” mask embodies the spirit of “dwo” and ultimately “wuro’s” spirit.

The blacksmith, one of the first human beings, was made “nwenka’s” keeper and authorized to carve it and other masks out of wood.

At harvest and funeral celebrations, “nwenke” dancers wear thick costumes of hemp and execute an athletic spinning dance that serves as a metaphor for the creation of the world.