The torso is a simple cylinder with a prominent umbilicus and is set into the socket formed by the U-shaped pelvic girdle. The buttocks are large and quite angular, with a sharp line demarking the upper and lower planes. The head is round, long, and narrow, with the face a flattened section. Directly in the center of each side of the head is a simple C-shaped ear. The entire figure is decorated with elaborate patterns of scarification, burned into the surface of the wood with a heated knife blade.
Patterns spread vertically and horizontally from the umbilicus.
A broad band of patterns spreads across the hips and buttocks. The arms, upper chest, and back bear systems of parallel lines. The cheeks are covered by numerous short diagonals arranged in vertical rows. Finally, the individual locks of hair are carefully indicated. Although there is no documentary evidence concerning the origin of the piece or the identity of the artist who carved it, it is of the style produced in the extreme northwestern area of Mossi country in the area of the traditional Mossi kingdom of Yatenga, whose capital is Ouahigouya.