Dwo

Bobo · deity · Bobo traditional religion; continuing · Recorded classification

Dwo is the son and emanation of the creator Wuro, and the central deity of lived Bobo religion. When Wuro withdrew, he left Dwo in the world as the enduring link between humanity and the creator, and Dwo was first revealed clothed in leaves to the blacksmith — the leaf garment still worn by mask dancers. Dwo is the god of renewal and rebirth, and his many manifestations are reflected in the great variety of Bobo masks: leaf masks (the primordial, universal form, danced at harvest renewal rites such as birewa daga), kenaf-fibre masks made by farmers (the kele being the oldest and most powerful, central to the male initiation yele daga), and carved wooden masks (syêkele / nwenka, made by blacksmiths and used at the funerals of elders). Dwo is believed to dwell within the mask; when it is worn, his presence is caught up in the dancer, who then conveys his will. Through these masks Dwo continually restores the precarious cosmic balance that Wuro established and that human activity disturbs. For the Bobo it is always Wuro who acts behind the mask, but it is the real presence of Dwo that gives the mask its sacred character.

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