Fantastic West African Bwa Burkina Faso Bougendende Mask. With the name translated as "Butterfly," this over seven-foot-long mask from the Bwa (or Bobo Ule) people of Burkina Faso in West Africa is carved from ashy dark wood and decorated with natural white, black, and reddish brown pigments on both sides to symbolize a massive butterfly in flight, its colorful wings outstretched. Small mouth hole in the center. Fibrous strings attached to allow for wall-hanging display. 

Condition: Slight loss to the ends of the wings. 

Size: 11 x 9 x 88 In. 

African Bwa plank masks (specifically nwantantay) from Burkina Faso are large, wooden, geometric, and often vertical or horizontal, representing water or bush spirits, rather than direct ancestors, and are used in purification, agricultural, and initiation rituals. Based on religious and cultural practices assimilated from the neighboring Nuna people in the early 20th Century, they feature high-contrast red, white, and black pigments with stylized imagery of insects (butterflies, bats), animals (hawks, owls), or abstract patterns.

Slight loss to the ends of the wings. 

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