#1775 Old Exquisite /Rare Mossi Monkey Mask Burkina Faso 35.5" h W/Stand

  masks such as this rarely come on the market and would be of good addition to any collection.

The Mossi are today the largest single group living in Burkina Faso. They originated from horsemen who made their way north from present day Ghana during the 1500’s. The Mossi are renowned for their masquerades and the use of large, superbly sculpted and brightly painted masks and colorful costumes. Mossi elders are highly honored with elaborate funerals and the appearance of masked dancers with masks representing ancestors and various spirits and forces of Nature in dramatic and often vigorous dances.

These animal masks are all representations of the totem animals for specific clans. In a clan village, the killing of an animal identified with the clan is the same as killing a person. Burkina Faso is a land of masks, with figures scarce across all groups.