Mask Item Number: 1373/20 from the MOA: University of British Columbia

Description

Mask with two horn-like projections that point upward and curve convexly. The horn-like pieces are linked together in the middle by a square decorated with a white X-like design, on a black background. The horn-like pieces are decorated with red-brown, white-grey, and black geometric designs of lines, triangles, and squares. The helmet part is decorated with red-brown, white-grey, and black triangles on the upper half and horizontal lines on the bottom half which extend to two squares which protrude outward at the sides of both ends. The eyes are carved out as vertical rectangles. The nose, mouth with teeth, and beard are geometric rectanglur features. Fibre rope is threaded through the holes made along the sides of the mask.

History Of Use

Mossi masks, representing the ancestors, appear during burial and successive memorial services to ensure fidelity to established ritual, judge the deceased’s merit, and dispatch his spirit from the household he inhabited. They are also used in initiation ceremonies. Yali masks represent small children.