Upper Volta (Burkina Faso)
Lobi

Wood
Mid 20th century
Length: 19 inches
Aerophone – Edge-blown – Flute/Whistle

An old well used tribal flute called bile, with a beautiful elegant form and fine aged blackish patina of the Volta Lobi people. Burkina Faso is a multiethnic nation with about sixty ethnic and linguistic groups. In the eastern and central region the Mossi are at the center, the Gurmanche in the extreme east and the Fulbe and Tuareg in the north. The western and southern regions the largest groups are the Bisa and Gurunsi in the south, the Lobi and Dagara in the southwest, the Bobo in the west, and the Bwaba and Samo in the northwest.

These flutes are made to imitate the human voice and are in different sizes to serve different purposes, small flutes are used when hunting, while the medium and large flutes are used in village festivals/celebrations and to honor deceased elders.