Mali

The Dogon people are renowned in African art for myths and beliefs about their cosmogony. Its population is estimated at about 300,000 people living southwest of the Niger Loop in the Mopti region of Mali (Bandiagara, Koro, Banka), near Douentza and part of northern Burkina (northwest of Ouahigouya). They produce more than 80 mask types, the best known of which are Kanaga, Sirigé, Satimbe, Walu. Most of them are used by the circumcised initiates of the Awa society, during funeral ceremonies. Some depict animals, in reference to the rich mythology of African Dogon art. The nyama, the vital force of the mask, is activated by different rituals in order to develop all the magical potential of the object. On the occasion of a Dama ritual marking the end of a mourning, the Dogon sculpt new masks. Provenance: Argiles Collection, Barcelona