Mask "kanaga"

Description

wood (eight-part), pigments, mass, animal skin, plant fibre, water stains, rep.

Dogon masks are worn primarily at “dama”, a collective funerary rite for Dogon men. The ritual’s goal is to ensure the safe passage of the spirits of the deceased to the world of the ancestors.

The ceremony is organized by members of “awa”, a male initiation society with ritual and political roles within Dogon society.

For the “dama” festivities hundreds of masked dancers perform, creating a brilliantly colored, ever-changing spectacle of sculpture, costume, song and dance.

Comparing literature