Dogon Dance Mask From Mali

old DOGON dance mask from MALI Hard and heavy wood patinated, remains of pink color on the mouth and wood partly burned on the right side as if it had been saved from the flames height 42cm width 14cm In principle a monkey stands above this type of mask we are in the presence of a character typed monkey without being certain of it which can be related to the OMONO masks The monkey is considered as the ugly male of the bush, he adopts a melancholy attitude and stands away from the dance floor. In the cliffs of Bandiagara, northeast Mali, the male association Awa governs the use of Dogon masks. The masks come out to settle the disturbances of the social order, to the organization of the funeral rites, and the organization of the Dama, lifting of mourning which closes the funeral. This dance is performed on the roof of the house of the dead at the end of the dry season, and allows the transition of the dead to the spirit world. The parade of masks follows a strict order of precedence that respects the age of the wearers and their knowledge of the institution of the masks. The release of the masks and the symbolic expression of a myth embodied by numerous masks of which there are seventy-eight different types, embodying the spirits of the bush such as the buffalo, the antelope or the hyena. In Dogon culture, the monkey represents wild, uncivilized, dangerous and antisocial behavior. The absolute opposite of what one should expect from a Dogon. Three types of monkey masks are used, identified only by their color, regardless of their shape. Dege is the black monkey, while the white monkey is known as Omono and the red monkey is called Ko. The background of the myth is not clearly known, but it has been written that the black monkeys, Dege, are the bandits of the Bush. Free worldwide shipping