Bozo people, Mali

14 inches, painted wood, glass

Unlike the Bamana who are one of the largest ethnic groups of Mali and  are agriculturalists, the Bozo live near the Niger river where the make their living as fishermen. Both groups have their own form of masquerade. This mask comes from Markala, a village 40 km from Ségou, Mali. The mask is quite large and has glass-protected eye holes. The Bozo are Muslim, yet they preserve a number of Animist traditions including masquerade.