Antelope mask "walu" ·  Mali, Dogon · ID: 3038076

Description

light wood, black paint, red and white pigment, of rectangular form with long, strong horns, metal hook, pierced around the rim., min. dam., cracks, traces of abrasion;
the mask reminds of the mythic antelope “walu”, which was engaged by the creator god “amma” to protect the sun from the fox “yurugu”. To take revenge for his vain effort the fox digged holes in the ground, so that the antelope fell and died. The dance of the mask “walu” should remind of this mythical occurrence. The mask appears during the “dama” commemorative ceremonies which take place every five years together with hundreds of masked dancers.

Littérature comparée

Bilot, Alain, Masques du pays Dogon, Paris 2001, p. 68 f.