Bobo
Burkina FasoCap Mask, Do Society, n.d.
Not on view
Wood
Dimensions16 × 8 1/2 in. (40.6 × 21.6 cm)
Gift of Justice and Mrs. G. Mennen Williams, 1973.46
The Bobo people describe the creation of the world by their god Wuro as an ordering of opposing pairs, for instance male and female, man and spirits, village and bush. In Bobo culture it is thought that this natural balance is easily disrupted and inherently destroyed by man, but through ritual and sacrifice it can be restored. This mask depicts the spirit of a bird and evidence of sacrifice can be seen by traces of blood and feathers on the wooden surface.
