Antique Wood Flute - Mossi, Burkina Faso end of 19th century.

Antique Wood Flute - Mossi, Burkina Faso end of 19th century.

Size:  20.5 cm L

Condition: good condition, for their visible signs of wear and the ideally dark brown to black, sometimes encrusted patina.

Further reading:

Brown, E. (1999). Turn up the Volume. Los Angeles: UCLA Fowler Museum of Cultural History.

MOSSI PEOPLES:

In Burkina Faso, in West Africa, the Mossi peoples play flutes during ceremonies and masked performances to accompany the music of balafons and the rapid beat of drums. They are played in groups of 5 to 7 men at least with each flute playing a single note. Together, the ensemble plays songs, utilizing each man's mono-tonal flute, that imitate the tonal patterns of the Mossi language, imitating spoken phrases.

Aerophones can be found throughout sub-Saharan Africa, and their diverse but regionally uniform shapes allow them to be clearly identified geographically.

These popular instruments are played in very different ways depending on the occasion. Individually or in groups, e.g., as signaling instruments, as a means of communication, for entertainment, or ritually as accompaniment instruments for initiations, weddings, births, and funerals.

The design of African notched flutes usually only allows for two to three notes played at different intervals. When accompanied by other flutes, this creates complex, monotonous melodies that sound similar to local languages. Accordingly, according to current literature, the nuanced sequences of notes can be understood as spoken words.

Flutes are generally the personal property of men. They receive their first flute on the occasion of their initiation, although they can also be purchased from carvers, made by the man themselves, or given as gifts (e.g., on engagements between women and men).