Masque facial "karan-wemba" de la société "wango" ·  Burkina Faso, Mossi · ID: 3046184

Description

wood, pigments, mass, original repairs (chin), base

This mask was danced at the funerals of highly esteemed women. The mask honors a woman whose great age, wisdom, and experience elevated her to the rank of a living ancestress, an ideal intermediary between the living and the spirits of the family’s ancestors.

The appearance of the mask should not only honour her, but also the female progenitor and founder of the clan, who is embodied by the female figure on top of the mask.

Expertise

Marc Ghysels, 27 Juillet 2011, Brussel, Belgium (Tomodensitometric study with X-ray scanner)

Littérature comparée

Roy, Christopher D., Land of the flying masks, München 2007, ill. 122 ff

Publications

AHDRC: 0122455