$295.00
1 in stock
Every year the Bozo commission masks, puppets and marionettes for their annual festivals and parades. This mask showcases an animal face with large ears and protruding horns. It measures 33 inches tall and weighs 9 pounds. There has been a repair to the bottom jaw and scrapes, scuffs and imperfections throughout – please inspect photos. Stand is not included.
This is a piece from the Dave Dahl Collection. Please feel free to contact us with your best offers! Please include item title or SKU.
| Type of Object | 1 mask |
|---|---|
| Country of Origin | Mali |
| Ethnicity | Bozo |
| Material | Wood and pigment |
| Approximate Age | Unknown |
| Height | 33" |
| Width | 11" |
| Depth | 14" |
| Weight | 9 lbs |
| Overall Condition | Repair to bottom jaw, imperfections – see photos |
“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.”
