Mossi

“About the Mossi Tribe
“In many ways, the Mossi are a peculiar people. They occupy a wide area in Burkina Faso but were formed by invaders from Northern Ghana. The conquerors harmonized a number of tribes and let them keep their art and culture. Therefore, the Mossi are an ethnically diverse people. They also have a central government and a complex tribal organization not seen among any othertribe so far inland. With the Mossi, the political power rests with the descendants of the invaders while the religious power is held by the tengabisi, a clan set aside for that purpose.Mossi sculptors also double as blacksmiths. They live apart from the rest of the tribe and marry only within their own caste. They are equally beloved by the people for their skill and feared for their apparentpower. This is because the best sculptures are made only for royalty and the best masks for the religious class. The artists make brass and wooden ancestor figures for the rulers and masks are made for farmers and the tengabisi. The rulers use these statues to entrench their authority while the conquered people use the masks to honor the spirits of the wilderness and to pray to nature. |

AfricanMossi Mask 16" |


Mossi Mask of Burkina Faso 20" | Mossi statues have the simplest human form representations. They often have long necks and trunks with protruding bellies and pointy breasts. Most of these figures are female and are kept in the hut of the chief's eldest wife. Other Mossi figures can be far less detailed or provide greater details than these. Less detailed figures resemblefigures from cubism with an angular blob for head and sharp planes for neck, trunk and breasts. These are called biiga. More detailed figures have fully represented faces with limbs stretched out in sharp, bent angles and fingers splayed.The biiga is an educational toy with dual purposes. It is made for girls who wash, dress and carry such. Its symbolism include serving both as the power to conferfertility on the girl as well as serving as a forerunner of the child she is learning to care for. Biiga figures stand on small rounded bases and resemble chess pieces. They are passed from mothers to daughters or from sister to sister.Mossi masks stand out for being polychromatic. They are colorful, round and with long superstructures. Masks are used mainly among the Mossi by the religious classand the farmers. Mossi's conquered people have masks representing the totemic animals of the clans. Such masks have their origin stories. These stories may vary but they have common threads. The common myth behind Mossi masks involves the appearance of a sacred animal or a god at the moment of need. Such apparitions would bestow the gift of the mask to an ancestor to help restore balance to theclan. |
Mossi masks appear during funerals and at the beginning of the planting season. For such purposes they are believed to escort the dead safely to the netherworld and assure great millet harvests.
Mossi masks are generally alike but may show regional differences. The commonest feature is the superstructure. The superstructure may include animal horns or small human figures. Mossi masks havesharp noses but the level of detail represented on the face may vary. Eyes are commonly made out as small and round. Where human faces are represented fully they are usually with thick pattern brows. Animal heads are also commonly found amongst Mossi masks.
In every aspect of their art, whether masks or statues, the Mossi carve smooth surfaces. The use of colors is also prevalent. This is oftenincorporated with carved or painted patterns. For a tribe priding itself on its diversity, the use of colors is perhaps the most appropriate demonstration of the richness of its art.” Wil More Pime”

“The Mossi people occupy in the region of about thirty thousand square miles in central Burkina Faso. The area that they live in is a great plateau that lies between 1000 and 1500 feet above sea...