Mossi Yatenga Plank Mask — Burkina Faso - African tribal arty

A vintage tall plank mask of the Mossi people of Burkina Faso, West Africa. Carved from a single piece of wood, it rises as a slender vertical plank above a small abstracted face — the classic Mossi karan-wemba format. The entire surface is worked in dense geometric relief: stacked trapezoidal and hourglass tiers filled with rows of concentric triangles, chevrons, and zigzag banding, highlighted in white kaolin against a darkened ground. At the base, a leaf-shaped oval with a central ridge and concentric lozenge motif forms the stylized face.

Masks of this type perform at the funerals of important elders and at seasonal agricultural rites, embodying protective ancestral spirits. The bold black-and-white geometry is characteristic of the masking traditions of Burkina Faso's Voltaic peoples.

The mask shows genuine age and wear consistent with ceremonial use — surface wear to the pigment, a handled patina, and minor age marks — all speaking to its history and authenticity. Please see photos as part of the description.

Details
- Culture: Mossi people (Voltaic / Gurunsi plank-mask tradition)
- Origin: Burkina Faso, West Africa
- Material: Wood, kaolin (white pigment)
- Height: 78 cm (30.7 in)
- Condition: Vintage, with age-related wear and patina consistent with use