Bobo / Bwa

Burkina Faso

The Bobo live in eastern Burkina Faso and are primarily farmers whose lives are regulated by a council of elders. The Bwa are scattered across Burkina Faso and Mali and are generally classified into three endogamous professional castes: farmers, blacksmiths and musicians. Both tribes cultivate millet and cotton and dictate their religous activities by the rhythm of the seasons. The traditional art from these two separate tribes are very similar and difficult to distinguish from one another. In fact these two tribes were at one point thought to comprise one tribe, the Bobo Oule. The two tribes have many cultural characteristics in common and only differ in the ways they operate. For example, the Bobo show more respect for tradition than the Bwa, who are fairly individualistic and have adopted various elements from the culture of their neighbors, in particular the Gurunsi.

~ links to BOBO/BWA items on ETHNIX.COM ~

BOBO/BWA Face Masks

BOBO/BWA Plank Masks

BOBO/BWA Horizontal Masks

BOBO/BWA Animal Masks