Mossi Baga Headdress

Mossi diviners, known as Baga, conduct sessions wearing headdress such as this fine example, formerly in the collection of the late Thomas G. B. Wheelock, renowned collector of the traditional art of Burkina Faso. The headdress consists of the upper and lower bill of a Marabou stork, a common, very large and ungainly scavenging and predatory bird of the African savanna. Other elements include locally grown and woven indigo-dyed cloth, tanned goat leather and a remarkable number of cowrie shells. According to Wheelock, the tubular projection atop the mask formerly sprouted a spray of horse hair. Marabou storks, significantly, are often among the first to arrive at the site of a successful hunt where an animal carcass is being fed upon by lions or butchered by hunters. Broadly, the bird has a strong folkloric association with death and whatever lies beyond. Baga ceremonies are elaborate affairs involving incantations and musical accompaniment. See one here, recorded by Wheelock’s friend and art historian Christopher Roy. In the video you will note that the headdress is only part of an elaborate costume.

37.5″

Inquire About This Item