Face mask with large female figure "satimbe"
Mali, Dogon
not available anymore
Provenance
Kunst Kabinet, Noordeinde, The Hague, The Netherlands (1987)Mamadou Keita, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Size
H: 121 cm
H: 47.6 inch
Description
wood, pigment, thick encrusted black colour mixed with vegetal material,
The Dogon have a large number of different types of masks, which all belong to the “awa” society, and appear during the funeral ceremonies of the “dama”. These ceremonies are held every two or three years to honour those elders, who had died in the intervening years.
The “satimbe” mask is also used in the “dama” festivities, but upholds a a special position. It represents “yasigine”, the oldest sister of the masks (“sigui”) and the only woman in the village of the “awa” society who is allowed to dance. Literally translated “satimbe” means “sister of the head”.
Comparing literature
Schädler, Karl-Ferdinand, Götter - Geister - Ahnen, München 1992, p. 57 Bedaux, Jean Baptist, Art of the Dogon, Brüssel 2012, ill. 142 ff.Publications
AHDRC: 0083048