Bolo helmet mask
| Bolo helmet mask | |
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| Information | |
| Weapon type: | Protective weapon, ceremonial item |
| Designations: | Bolo helmet mask, Burkina Faso ceremonial helmet mask |
| Use: | Ceremonial item |
| Region of origin / author: |
Burkina Faso , wood carver of the Bobo and Bwaba ethnicities |
| Distribution: | Burkina Faso |
| Lists on the subject | |
The Bolo helmet mask is a ceremonial protective weapon from Burkina Faso .
description
The Bolo helmet mask is made of wood. It is worn by blacksmiths from Burkina Faso during ceremonial rites . Among other things, these are agricultural festivals, initiation rites and funeral celebrations. The helmets are worn in a representation that is intended to entertain the guests present. During the dance, the masks are removed for a short time to reveal the dancer's identity. Older, different masked helmets are excluded from these presentations as sacred objects. There are two basic forms of the Bolo helmet masks. One covers the entire face, the other only three-quarters. The outer design of the helmet gives an indication of the tribal affiliation. In the example shown, the high crest, which is worked out on the apex, indicates the trunk of the Bole. The mask is on the whole rather roughly worked, but some finely worked details have also been emphasized. The mouth area is equipped with bulging lips. The teeth in the open mouth are two rows and represented by round, inserted woods. The eyes are oval. The eyebrows and eyelashes are imitated by the use of animal hair. The surface of the mask is decorated with geometric patterns that are colored by different coloring in the colors white, red and black. The triangular symbols probably represent amulets of the non-Muslim Bobo, which are supposed to give them magical powers. A kind of collar is worked on the neck opening of the mask, which is used to connect the mask to the dancer's costume.
Individual evidence
literature
- Karin Ådahl, Berit Sahlström (Ed.): Islamic art and culture in Sub-Saharan Africa (= Figura. NS Vol. 27). Almqvist & Wiksell International, Stockholm 1995, ISBN 91-554-3576-9 .
- African Form and Imagery. Detroit Collects. With an introductory essay by Nil O. Quarcoopome. Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit 1996, ISBN 0-89558-145-0 (Exhibition Catalog, Detroit, Detroit Institute of Arts, June 22, 1996 - January 5, 1997).
- Kristina Van Dyke (Ed.): African art. From the Menil Collection. The Menil Collection, Houston TX 2008, ISBN 978-0-939594-64-1 , p. 88.
- Viennese ethnographic communications. Vol. 32-33, 1990, ISSN 0084-0068 .