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Mask, Nwantantay
Burkina Faso
20th century
Wood, pigment, kaolin, seeds
H. 104 cm
TC 256

"The dramatic plank masks...are used in initiation, to instruct young men in the proper moral order of the world and also provide blessings and prosperity to those who own them. This mask, known as a Nwantantay, is associated with the nature spirits that control the flow of water." (Newton & Waterfield 1995: 71) This type of mask was used in agricultural and funeral rituals.

Provenance:
Pace Primitive, New York, 2005
Thomas Wheelock