Bush Buffalo Mask of the Bwa: What It Was For and Why It Matters
Bwa | Burkina Faso | Nature Spirit / Agricultural
What was it for?
The buffalo is one of the most powerful animals in the Bwa landscape. Like other Bwa nature spirit masks, the buffalo mask is danced at funerals, at initiations and at agricultural festivals, bringing the strength and endurance of the animal into the life of the community at its important moments.
What does it look like?
A face mask with wide, curving horns extending dramatically to either side. The horns are the statement. They command space. The face beneath them is composed and watchful, and the dancer's body is hidden beneath a full fibre costume.
Why does it matter?
The choice of the buffalo over other powerful animals such as the lion or the elephant reflects the Bwa environment and the animals people actually lived alongside. Mask traditions are always locally rooted, and the spirits that dance are the spirits of the land itself.
One thing most people never know
The buffalo mask belongs to a large family of Bwa animal masks that also includes the butterfly, the hawk and the cockerel. Each animal is a nature spirit, and together they make the living world of the bush visible in the village during the great ceremonies of the year.
Further reading: the source record for this entry.
This entry is part of the SEVICS Africa archive of 100 African masks. If you own a mask like this and want to know more about it, try our Mask Identifier.
