The online catalogue opens with 32 masks from West Africa
Eighteen masks from Mali, seven from Burkina Faso and seven from Côte d’Ivoire: the first part of the collection can now be browsed online, record by record.
Tribal and Ethnic Art Center BKO has published on its website a first catalogue of 32 masks from its collection. Each work has its own record: its name, the people who made it when known, the region, the period, the materials and, for some, the height.
Three countries, a wide range of forms
Most of the masks come from Mali: Bamana Kore, Nafere and Sagakun masks from the Segou, Koulikoro, Sikasso and Beledougou regions, and two Dogon masks from the Mopti region. Burkina Faso is represented by painted Mossi, Winiama and Nunuma masks, Côte d’Ivoire by Yaure, Guere and We dance masks.
The oldest pieces date from the 19th century. The Bamana Mishikun mask (no. 11) is dated to the early part of the century, the Dogon Satimbe mask (no. 10) to its middle.
Finding a work
The catalogue can be filtered by country and by people. A search field finds a mask by its name, its region or a material: “cowrie”, “Segou” or “Yaure” is enough. On each record, the photograph opens full size.
Records that will grow
The records follow the identifications established by the museum. They will be refined as research progresses, and more works will join the catalogue. Researchers who wish to study a piece can write to the museum from its record.
