Warthog Mask

Item number 3294/1 from the MOA: University of British Columbia.

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Description

Carved and painted wooden warthog mask, with two large circular eyes on the front and two small red pointed ears. Extending down is a large tube-like snout, with tusks extending up over the upper jaw, and teeth (repeating triangles) along the sides. The top of the snout is decorated with repeating V's in black and white. A plain wooden collar extends back from the head, and has many holes drilled through it. A short loop of fibre cord is attached at the top.

History Of Use

Mossi warthog mask (Nunuma or Winiama). 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.