Cleveland Museum of Art

Face Mask with Female Figure (satimbe)

Date

early to mid-1900s

Medium

Wood and organic materials

Culture

Africa, West Africa, Mali, Dogon-style blacksmith-carver

Department

African Art

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

Dogon masks are worn at the end-of-mourning ceremonies called dama. The masks incarnate ancestors, which can be human, animal, or vegetal. The female figure with raised arms topping this example represents the mythical character Yasigine, who played a key role in the very first sigi celebration. Held every 60 years, the sigi ceremony commemorates the arrival of death. This mask is one of several hundred that may perform at the ceremony called dama .

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