BURKINA FASO. BRACELET OF MOSSI TRIBE 1850/1900. Ornate with rabbits.BRONZE 377 gr. (13,2 oz) - 12,5x9x4 cm. (4,9x3,5x1,6 inch) The Bronze casting is of high quality and the design a classic example of the African style. The bracelet is the most common money form in Africa. It served the important monetary functions of portability and wealth display. Often identified as a currency type it also served as a prestige object available in most instances to elites within African society. Massive, heavy and hollow cast bracelet is an extraordinary example of the skill of the bronze caster. Objects used as currency were sometimes also in themselves desirable objects, frequently used for body ornamentation.The Mossi are a people in central Burkina Faso, living mostly in the villages of the Nazinon and Nakanbe (formerly Volta) River Basin. The Mossi are the largest ethnic group in Burkina Faso, constituting more than 40% of the populatio. The Mossi people originated in Burkina Faso, although significant numbers of Mossi live in neighboring countries, including Benin, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Mali, and Togo.