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Buffalo Mask
early to mid-1900s
The Cleveland Museum of Art
Cleveland, United States
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.
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Details
- Title: Buffalo Mask
- Date Created: early to mid-1900s
- Physical 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, The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
- Type: Mask
- Rights: CC0
- External Link: https://clevelandart.org/art/1969.2
- Medium: Wood, plant fibers, paint, and iron
- Department: African Art
- Culture: Africa, West Africa, Burkina Faso, possibly Bwa-style maker
- Credit Line: Gift of Katherine C. White
- Collection: African Art
- Accession Number: 1969.2
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