Additional information
| Ethnic Groups | |
|---|---|
| Primary Materials | |
| Regions |
Incised Mossi or Kurumba Doll
A description of this fine doll, along with another similar doll, was published in the 2007 Thomas G. B. Wheelock collection book Land of the Flying Masks: Art and Culture in Burkina Faso as item #506. The description reads, “Parents across all strata of Mossi Society purchased dolls to give to their daughters as simple play-things. These old examples are from the small town of Ziniaré, north of Ouagadougou on the road to Kaya….When these two dolls were bought [by Wheelock] early in the 1970s, a number in this style appeared simultaneously. It was said that they originated from the area around Bourzanga, in northern Risiam. Anne-Marie Schweeger-Hefel cites the form as Kurumba. However, Christopher Roy photographed two girls from a village near Yako, far to the southwest, clutching dolls with similarly shaped heads and bases.” People, ideas, forms and goods travel both across landscapes and through time. Very often, what the West identifies as an ethnic, tribal, or regional style is in fact simply the trademark of a single carver or family workshop. Like most Burkina dolls, the face on this doll is minimized while shape takes precedent. Upon closer examination, however, one finds a face delineated in incised lines and marks made with an awl, while the surface is decorated throughout with dots and linear designs.
6.5″
