African wood mask antiques Wall Decor Plank Mask Owl mask Butterfly Masks for wall-9895

33.7/13.1 -CM
African Wall Decor Plank Mask, painted by the Bwa people from central Burkina Faso and Mali. They are a Gur people, speaking Gur languages. While the Bobo people, also from Burkina Faso, speak the Bobo language, a Mande language. Both these masks are are Bwa Hawk or Owl masks, we believe. The way to tell the difference between a Butterfly and an Owl mask is the Butterfly has a continuation of round circles on the wings and the Owl does not. The Southern Bwa are known for their tall plank masks and tend to use wood to make their masks. In the late 1800’s after the arrival of the French and their Senegalese mercenaries, the Bwa decided God had abandoned them, so they turned to their Nuna