The Bwa are an African society indigenous to Burkina Faso, with a population of over 300,000. They live in autonomous communities without a centralized government, guided by shared social norms. The Bwa are especially known for their scarification practices and distinctive plank masks.

Masks are central to Bwa renewal ceremonies and are danced during initiations, funerals, memorials, and harvest rituals. Over a fifteen-day initiation, young candidates learn the meanings of the mask’s symbols, which teach proper social behavior and warn against straying from ancestral laws. The double zigzag line represents the ancestral path, the crescent symbolizes the moon and ceremonial time, and the checkerboard pattern signifies learning. After initiation, each graduate receives a white goatskin for ceremonies; as it darkens with age, it marks the transition to elderhood and the interdependence of elders (dark) and youth (light).