Monkey Mask

Item number 3420/13 from the MOA: University of British Columbia.

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Description

Monkey mask carved of wood and painted. White mask has a flat face, with sunken bright pink rectangular sections on either side of the nose, and cutout rectangular eyes. Seated white monkey figure has thin curved torso with long arms that rest on its knees. Its face and front are painted black. The monkey has slit eyes, a long triangular nose and mouth.

History Of Use

The monkey masks are usually used by the Awa (mask) male society, and are used to represent anti-social behaviour, and the dangers of the wilderness. Wild, uncivilized, and dangerous behaviours are opposite to the beliefs of the Dogon. Thus, men that perform these masks are mimicking behaviour that the community should avoid. The masks are performed as part of Dama festivals, which commemorate the origin of death. During this ritual, the masked performances carried out by Dogon men lead the dead to the ancestral realm. At the end of Dama, the deceased belong to the ranks of ancestors and through the word of Amma, the Creator, the community is given strength, fields are fertilized, and women and cattle are fertile. Since the 1930s, these masks have been used outside Dama for entertainment performances, especially for tourists.