Untitled

Untitled

Monkey Mask

This is a mask helmet. It is made of wood. It was made by the Dogon. It seems to depict a monkey. The mask has a large ridge that goes from the top of the head, over the forehead, and connects to the nose. The money’s eyes are large, square holes. Its lips and chin are large and heavily accented, with a pair of ears carved into the side. Many Dogon mask helmets represent figures familiar to the Dogon communities such as women, men, animals, and warriors. Dogon masks are worn at a “dama”, which are funerary rites for Dogon men. These rites would ensure that the deceased would enter the world of the ancestors.

The Dogon

Martha and Robert Fogelman

The Art Museum at the University of Memphis

ca. 19th/20th Century

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Wood, Carving
18.000x7.380x9.500
Depth 9.500

2008.2.89