Masque "kanaga" ·  Mali, Dogon · ID: 3048507

Description

wood (seven-pcs.), pigments, blackish mass, hide, cord material, base

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.

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