Face / plank mask "sirige" · Mali, Dogon · ID: 3049376

Name: Face / plank mask "sirige"
SKU: 3049376
Price: 2500 EUR
Availability: SoldOut

sold EUR 2,500

Provenance

Horst Hornstadt, Frankfurt, Germany

Size

H: 145 cm - 109 cm - 73,5 cm (full height: 327,5 cm)

H: 57.1 inch - 42.9 inch - 28.9 inch (full height: 128.9 inch)

Description

wood, three-part, pigments, mass, animal skin, metal, base

The “sirige” mask measures several metres in length. It symbolizes the “ginna” (“the house of the extended family”). Its elongated structure is a vertical juxtaposition of generations.

The “sirige” masquerade dances in the village square, reenact what the Dogon believe to be the creation of earth and life.

The athletic and skilled dancer swings the mask in circular motions, touching the tip of the mask to the ground to represent the sun and its life giving properties.

Only adults in full possession of their physical strength are capable of manoeuvring this type of mask. The mask stays in position by means of a wooden bit that dancers hold between their teeth.