The Mossi settled in Burkina Faso during the 15th and 16th centuries and conquered several different indigenous groups, creating a blend of different cultural practices.

This sculptural figure, called niande, was made by the descendants of those invaders (Nakomse). They are depictions of royal ancestors and are owned and used by chiefs during annual agricultural ceremonies, funeral rites, and for ancestrial rituals where they may accumulate a patina of sacrificial material.

Because of the cultural blend that occured from the absorption and merging of different ethnic groups, Mossi art varies greatly in style from region to region.