A chevron mouthed flute with knobs and partly covered with the skin, Gurunsi, Burkina Faso; brown to reddish patina with traces of age and ritual use.

"(...) Flutes are an integral part of many ceremonies and may be accompanied by several different types of drums and balafons. Unlike drummers and balafon players, who belong to castes, flutes may, in principal, be played by any male in the community. Generally, however, flutes are played singly by older men or by groups composed of odd numbers of initiated men. While certain styles originated with particular people, the shape of a flute reflected the context in which it was played more than it does its origin. Among the Bwa, Samo and Darfing flutes with three side holes are played to announce both the beginnings and the ends of wrestling matches. The honor to play the flute on these occasions goes to the champion wrestler. The Bwa, Nunuma, Winiama, and Kasena produce phallic-shaped flutes that accompany fertility-associated events. Young Bwa farmers have weeding competitions. Each carries a large flute, through which several notes are blown, indicating the completion of his plot. The Bwa and the Nuna carve large flutes with arms askimo, yielding an open-work diamond shape. Notes played on these flutes sound an alarm and worriers carry them into battle; also, such flutes are played to signal the beginning of a communal hunt. Diviner and healer consecrations are accompanied by long flutes with as many as five pairs holes. Highly-painted flutes were passed down through the family, often at initiations. These flutes were imbued with enormous spiritual strength and were played to honor the deceased at burials and funerals, where their sound gave voice to ancestors and bush spirits alike."

Lit.: Christopher D. Roy/Thomas G.B. Wheelock: Land of the Flying Masks. Art and Culture in Burkina Faso. The Thomas G. B. Wheelock Collection, Prestel 2007, p. 446.

sold

Height: 48 cm
Weight: 353 g