Kanaga Mask

The Dogon migrated to present-day Mali beginning in the fifteenth century, settling along the Bandiagara escarpment. The harsh, remote terrain of central Mali protected the Dogon and shaped their culture. The Kanaga mask honors the dead and connects them to the living, in much the same way as the long cliff on which they live connects the earth and sky, and the vertical strip of the mask connects the two horizontal bands. Young men wear the Kanaga mask during the Dama ceremony, a funeral festival that occurs every twelve years in which the masks lead those who died during the cycle to the afterlife. The masks are painted with white, black, and often washer's blue, a chalky material traditionally used to whiten clothes in the laundry. A brightly colored raffia mane surrounds the face and complements the raffia bands along the arms and feet of the dancer. The dancer also wears a kilt and suspenders. The masquerader secures the mask by biting down on a bit, though there is netting in the back to keep it upright. Though the wood is not heavy, his dance includes whipping his body around and scraping the tip of the mask to the earth, making it a dynamic and audible procession.