Totemic figure in African Kurumba art. This crest mask emblematic of most Kurumba clans in northern Burkina, with a protective purpose, was intended to honor the memory of the forefathers during mourning. It could incidentally take the place of an altar within the house housing the spirits of the ancestors of the lineage. Evoking the hippotrague antelope, it displays, from a semi-spherical mask pierced with holes representing eyes, a long neck on which the tapered head of the animal develops. Slender curves evoking agility, and careful ornamentation distinguish this mask. Polychrome patina. Very slight cracks and some missing cowries, good general condition however. The African art sculptures of the Bobo , Bwa , Kurumba and Mossi , living in Burkina Faso , frequently take up and combine stylized elements borrowed from humans, animals or even insects. It is the spirits of nature that are supposed to determine the well-being and prosperity of an individual, and adversity will be seen as the result of neglect of collective rites. It is therefore during different celebrations that the mask will personify a spirit of nature or that of an ancestor in order to influence the daily life of the members of the ethnic group. They appear to honor the deceased during funeral rites, and to escort the souls to the kingdom of the dead. They also appear during agricultural festivals in order to ensure the progression of the seasons, and during initiation rites they initiate young people to the responsibilities of adult life.
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