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Rooster mask

Photo: Elizabeth Mann

Rooster mask

20th century

Burkina Faso , Mossi culture

Swarms of animal characters help Mossi families at funerals and other times of disturbance. A rooster struts in and rapidly bobs its head up and down, back and forth. A hyena chases after spectators who might bother the family, striking them with sticks. Antelopes prance in with vigorous steps and set their costumes spinning and twisting.
Wood, natural pigments, chicken feathers
Height: 11 3/4in. (29.8cm)
Gift of Dr. Oliver E. and Pamela F. Cobb
2012.29.14
Provenance: Collected by Hans and Thelma Lehmann, Burkina Faso, 1968
Photo: Elizabeth Mann
location
Now on view at the Seattle Art Museum

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