Buffalo Mask
Buffalo Mask
Attribution follows a published museum catalogue or peer-reviewed scholarship. Object is held in a public collection under a published accession number.
Among the Bwa people, masks with human, animal, and fantastic traits typically represent protective bush spirits. This mask’s horns and muzzle identify it as a bush buffalo. Masked dancers appear during the dry season for initiations, funerals of elders, market days, harvest celebrations, and annual renewal rituals to protect the well-being of the community.
Catalogued by Cleveland Museum of Art as “Buffalo Mask”, dated early to mid-1900s. Harvested from the museum’s open-access record; every field below is copied from that record and none of it has been inferred.
Record
| People / culture | Bwa |
|---|---|
| Country | Burkina Faso |
| Common name | Buffalo Mask |
| Form category | Horizontal zoomorphic helmet |
| Subject depicted | Bush cow or buffalo |
| Materials | Wood, plant fibers, paint, and iron |
| Dimensions | Overall: 69.8 cm (27 1/2 in.) |
Provenance
Katherine C. White [1929-1980], Gates Mills, OH, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art (at least 1968–1969)
The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (1969–)
| Collection | Cleveland Museum of Art |
|---|---|
| Accession number | 1969.2 |
Source
https://clevelandart.org/art/1969.2
This record is a catalogue entry, not an appraisal, valuation or legal determination. Nothing here should be read as evidence that an object was lawfully acquired or exported.