Karou (crescent-moon mask)

This funerary mask, carved from one piece of wood, features a crescent-shaped crest atop an oval face. The crest presents incised and painted geometric designs, in particular six concentric circles of various sizes. Projecting outwardly from the face and balancing the large crescent-shaped superstructure are large flat rectangular ears, and a fan-shaped beard. A strong vertical axiom is formed by a projection from the forehead prolonged into the vertical elongated nose, the protruding lips parted to show the tongue and the beard. The eyes, by contrast, are two simple circular apertures and are aligned horizontally with the ears. The entire surface of the mask is decorated by incised horizontal, vertical, chevron-shaped and sinuous lines accented by black, white, and rust-colored pigment. A fiber rope is attached by holes on the outer rim, for securing the costume to the head. Such masks perform at important funerals honoring the deceased members of the family they are associated with, ushering their spirit to begin the long journey to the spirit world. On these occasions, the masks embody nature or ancestor spirits that interact with human beings and influence their lives.

The Marka people live in north central Burkina Faso. They migrated into the area from further north, bringing Mande-style carving with them. The Marka have blended ideas about religion and spirituality, economics, education, and farming from the various cultures among whom they have lived. According to Christopher Roy and Thomas Wheelock, there are very few examples of Marka masks, and among these the karou crescent-moon masks are rare. This mask is one of only three examples that are known.

As is often the case with masking traditions from Burkina Faso, the origin of such masks is linked to a myth. The following myth was recounted by Domba Blegna, a Marka researcher: A woman who was collecting firewood in the bush found a pot with small iron objects, including one in a crescent form. Frightened by what she had discovered, she turned to leave but heard a voice instructing her to return to her village with the objects. She brought these to a diviner, who pronounced them gifts of God and instructed the family to make a mask honoring the crescent form, whose lunar aspect was proof of its celestial origin. The large crescent-form superstructure of this example, decorated with exuberant sets of nested circles—a quintessential Voltaic motif—is a spectacular example of its kind.