Whistle
Artist Unidentified
20th century
Object PlaceBurkina Faso
Medium/TechniqueWood, rope, paint
DimensionsLength x width: 9 x 24 cm (3 9/16 x 9 7/16 in.)
Credit LineGift of Geneviève McMillan in memory of Reba Stewart
Accession number2009.2588
On View
Not on viewClassificationsMusical instruments
DescriptionThe Mossi, Bwa, and Lobi peoples of Burkina Faso use whistle and flute instruments during masked performances. Generally played in groups by young male initiates, flutes accompany dancers during important communal masquerades such as the yearly village purification ritual and mask consecrations. This anthropomorphic flute may be of Bwa origin.
Provenance1981, sold by Rouaix, Paris, to Geneviève McMillan (b. 1922 - d. 2008), Cambridge, MA; 2008, to the Geneviève McMillan and Reba Stewart Foundation, Cambridge; 2009, gift of the Geneviève McMillan and Reba Stewart Foundation to the MFA. (Accession Date: June 17, 2009)
