Tribal Art

Dogon mask (N° 21564) Deposit sale

Coll. art africain française Voltz, piece estimated around 1920 according to Zemanek-Münster where it was acquired.
In funeral rites, members of the Awa society, dance with the masks on the roof of the dead man's house, to lead his soul (nyama) to his eternal rest and to defend the living. The Kanaga mask is also used to protect hunters from the vengeance of the prey he has killed.
This example is designed according to a recurrent structure and the features evoke a bird's beak. As a preliminary to funerals or during the mourning period, numerous copies, almost all identical, appear on the dance floor, after having circulated in the village's alleys. Depending on the degree of initiation, this mask will not have the same meaning when it is brought out during the mourning ceremony or during more festive exhibitions. It will be the Komolo bird, or, for the initiate, the Creator indicating with his gesture the sky and the earth. However, its meaning remains obscure. The wearers of this mask make a circular movement with their head, then bend down to the ground and stand up suddenly in order to establish a link between the ground and the sky. This piece is coated with kaolin, contrasting with the black dye. Excellent state of conservation, a tribal work of art.