Ceremonial Sickle Blade
Bwa / Bobo, Burkina Faso
Iron, wood, leather, textile
Early 20th century

This type of scepter was carried by the leaf-masqueraders of the Dwo society of the Bobo and Bwa. The leaf masquerader was believed to wield strong supernatural powers because no part of his masquerade costume was permanent, unlike most other African masquerades, where - for example - a wood mask would exist long after the masquerade took place. Possibly modeled after a talking drum striking instument, this iron scepter was used to enforce the laws of the Dwo society (Blandin, Fer Noir, 1992; Ouattara brothers, personal communication, 2006; Roy, Land of the Flying Masks, 2007).

The color photograph below, entitled "Masks at the annual purification rites, Bobo," depicts a leaf masquerader wielding a ceremonial sickle of this type is © Michel Huet (n.d.).

This piece was published in Roy, Christopher D., & Wheelock, Thomas, G.B. Land of the Flying Masks: Art and Culture in Burkina Faso. 2007. Plate 276. 

17.625 :: 45 cm

InventoryID #13-1925

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