The Mossi people of Burkina Faso have a rich and complex history that is
mirrored by the several types and styles of figures and masks they
create. They came into being around 1500 A.D. when a large group of
horsemen from what is now northern Ghana rode north into the valley of
the Volta River and conquered the local farmers. The descendants of the
conquering horsemen became the ruling class and used political art in
the form of royal figures to validate their authority. Meanwhile the
descendants of the conquered farmers became the spiritual class and made
masks to represent the spirits of nature. The stylistic diversity of
this art mirrors the several geographically divergent peoples who were
conquered in 1500 and eventually became the Mossi we know today. Unlike
several other West African peoples, the Mossi have not converted to
Islam in large numbers, and so they continue creating brilliant art much
as their ancestors did hundreds of years ago. Until the 1980s there was
much confusion about the accurate attribution of Mossi art to the people
who created it. This book makes clear that the Mossi have continued to
create brilliant art which they use to this day to express ideas about
politics and religion.