The Bwa

The Bwa occupy the area of northwestern Burkina Faso and also speak the Voltaic language; their livelihood is largely based on agriculture, supplemented by hunting and fishing.

>> Their villages surrounded by high walls, are independent and lack a centralized political authority. Their political system is based on lineage and a council of elders makes village decisions, lack of a centralized political leader has had its disadvantages over time.

>> Animists, as are most of the ethnic groups of Burkina Faso, their system of beliefs is based on the encounters between the founding ancestors and the respected grand-parents, who are confronted with the real and spiritual beings inhabiting the world.

>> The Bwa carve large polychrome zoomorphic masks with striking geometric patterns, worn during funerals and for entertainment; Bwa statuary associated with divination and ritual and is quite rare.