Cleveland Museum of Art

Buffalo Mask

Date

early to mid-1900s

Medium

Wood, plant fibers, paint, and iron

Culture

Africa, West Africa, Burkina Faso, possibly Bwa-style maker

Department

African Art

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

Among the Bwa people, masks with human, animal, and fantastic traits typically represent protective bush spirits. This mask’s horns and muzzle identify it as a bush buffalo. Masked dancers appear during the dry season for initiations, funerals of elders, market days, harvest celebrations, and annual renewal rituals to protect the well-being of the community. Once broken, the right horn of this mask was repaired; this indicates that it was valued.

The authoritative record is held by Cleveland Museum of Art. LinkedCulture surfaces this object and its connections; it does not alter institutional metadata.