Dogon (Dogo, Habbé, Kado, Kibisi, Tombo), Mali & Burkina Faso

Ceremonial Mask.  The Dogon people inhabit the large austere Bandiagara plateau, with most of the villages situated on cliffs to the north and the east. The Dogon are among African cultures that have remained closest to their ancestral traditions. The functions of Dogon masks all based upon an extensive mythology. More than seventy mask types depict a variety of mammals, reptiles, birds, persons, and inanimate objects. One of the fundamental tenets is that both human and animals have their nyama (soul substance) which returns after death into a mask. The masks were used in burial ceremonies to drive away the souls of the deceased who might harm the living and also at the end of mourning and at various other rituals. Each mask with mythical significance plays a specific role in the sequence of dances. The specific function of this rather unusual mask presenting a human is not clear.

Material: wood

Size: 19”x 4½”x 4½”

Price:  $ 200+$29 (S&H)                                             [#G9D4M688]