Mossi Wood Slingshot, Burkina Faso, Based

A seated-looking figure with a patterned crown and elbows akimbo.

This carved wooden slingshot on a base is Mossi, from Burkina Faso, West Africa, and dates to the 20th century. It is carved wood. Slingshots in West Africa were generally used to scare birds from crops or to hunt small animals, and boys often carried them. A carved dark figure on a black base, with a high, incised cap or hairdo and arms bent in sharp angles at its sides. Incised marks decorate the chest and torso. The legs descend in a wide, rounded arch. It is 2.75 inches wide, 1.5 deep and 7.5 high.

Elbows out, chin up, and ready for inspection.