Description

Old Bwa divination couple figures from southwestern Burkina Faso, cast in copper alloy using the lost-wax technique.

Among the Bwa, diviners and soothsayers may use paired figures during divination practices. Such figures are understood to serve as intermediaries between the diviner and the ancestors.

The figures display encrustations and surface wear consistent with age and use. Collected in Burkina Faso.

Dimensions

Height: 10.3 cm and 10.8 cm respectively

Width at feet: 4.1 cm and 3.6 cm respectively

Reference

La culture matérialisée des ethnies de la Volta: les objets en alliage de cuivre coulé à la cire perdue, Wilfried Glar (2015), p. 270

Learn about the Bwa Ethnic Group