A large plank mask with a flat circular face.

 

This plank mask is just one of many types of masks found among the Bwa people of central Burkina Faso and Mali. The Bwa, who are mostly farmers, have a lively and innovative art tradition and constantly borrow from their neighbours, adapting different influences and styles. In the past, they stole masks from a neighbouring group and adopted them as their own in the hope of developing greater control over the spirit world.