Red Painted Bozo Mask 11.5″ – Mali – African Art

$100.00

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SKU: 1008560 Categories: , , ,
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The Bozo people of Mali are well known for their colorful masks and puppets. This Bozo mask features a human face that has been painted a bright red color. The mask measures 11.5 inches tall and weighs 1.5 pounds. There is a crack down the chin and other smaller cracks and general wear and tear throughout. Please inspect photos. *Stand not included*

Type of Object

Face Mask

Country of Origin

Mali

Ethnicity

Bozo

Material

Wood & pigment

Approximate Age

Unknown

Height (Inches)

11.5"

Width (Inches)

5"

Depth (Inches)

4"

Weight (Pounds)

1.5 lbs

Overall Condition

Some cracking, scuffing and general wear and tear throughout.

Tribe Information

Tribe Information

About the Bozo People

“The Bozo are a West African ethnic group located predominantly along the Niger River in Mali. The name Bozo is thought to derive from Bambara bo-so “straw house”, the people accept it as referring to the whole of the ethnic group but use more specific clan names such as Sorogoye, Hain, and Tieye themselves. They are famous for their fishing and are occasionally referred to as the “masters of the river”.
“The Bozo language, which belongs to the Soninke-Bozo subgroup of Northwestern Mande within the Niger-Congo family, have traditionally been considered dialects of one language though there are at least four distinct varieties.
Aspects of Bozo culture took shape under the 10th century Ghana Empire, when the Bozo took possession of the banks of the Niger. The Bozo were the founders of the Milian cities of Djenne and Mopti.
Though the Bozo are predominantly Muslim, they preserve a number of animist traditions as well. Their animal totem is the bull, whose body represents the Niger and whose horns represent the Bozo fishing pirogues.”

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