Dogon HEALER Wizard MASK Antique African Masque Mali

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Dogon HEALER Wizard MASK Antique African Masque Mali

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Sold Date: 07/23/2008
Channel: Online Auction
Source: eBay
Category: Ethnic, Folk & Native American Art

Dogon HEALER Wizard MASK Antique African Masque Mali

A Riveting Old Dogon Bearded Wizard HEALER Mask w Animal Hair Lashes
Antique African Art - Tribal Masque - Mali

Collected from the: Dogon peoples of the Bandiagara Cliffs near Ireli in Mali, West Africa
Material: Wood, pigment
Period: Mid 20th century
Dimensions: 14" height, 9" width, 8" depth; weight is 3.10 pounds
Condition: Exceptional. From a private Houston collection, exquisite signs of age and wear from authentic tribal use, age cracks test stable, exposed wood displays patination. Make special note of the animal hair used at lashes, nostrils and ears - a rare presentation of this form with captivating character !

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Dogon Mask Traditions
Similar to the majority of rural societies of Africa, the healer to the Dogon is more or less assimilated as a wizard. The wooden face originally represented the single figure identify of the mythical wizard though they later added figures morphologically similar to those used on ancestor altars for sacrificial libations. The wearer of this mask holds a fly whisk in the right hand and in the left hand a censee cup containing medicines with which he sprays spectators. Contrary to other masks which are accompanied by a spokesman, the healer speaks to the helpers and lavishes on them therapeutic advice. âeoeDogon masks are used primarily for funerals. More than seventy mask types depict a variety of mammals, reptiles, birds, persons, and inanimate objects. Each, with mythical significance, plays a specific role in the sequence of dances.âe Dogon masques are used primarily for funerals. More than seventy mask types depict a variety of mammals, reptiles, birds, persons, and inanimate objects. Each, with mythical significance, plays a specific role in the sequence of dances. âeoeReference has been made to the great variety of masks employed by the Dogon and the themes they represent. From a quantity perspective, masks constitute the most numerous of the art objects produced by the Dogon. This quantitative pre-eminence is not necessarily reflected in western collections for several reasons. Masks were traditionally discarded every sixty years at the time of the Sigui . Breakage rates were high because of the manner and frequency of use between Sigui festivals. Statuary and small metal objects were far less numerous than masks. But their survival rates were higher because they were not subjected to stress use, were more carefully housed and were not ritually destroyed or discarded as was the case with masks.âe See Dogon Cliff Dwellers , Masques du Pays Dogon , African Art in American Collections , and African Masks from the Barbier-Mueller for further details.

Dogon Tribal History
The 300,000 Dogon inhabit approximately 700 villages in Mali, primarily along a 125 mile (200 kilometer) stretch of escarpment known as the Cliffs of Bandiagara. These sandstone cliffs run from southwest to northeast, roughly parallel to the Niger River, and attain heights up to 2000 feet 600 meters (2000 feet). Accounts of early Dogon history vary according to the specific Dogon clan and/or archaeological records consulted, with multiple versions of the Dogon origin myth as well as differing accounts of their migration from early ancestral homelands to the Bandiagara region. The people call themselves 'Dogon' or 'Dogom', but in the older literature they are most often called Habe , a Fulbe word meaning 'stranger' or 'pagan'. Certain theories suggest the tribe descended from an ancient Egyptian race that journeyed first to Libya, then on into regions of Guinea or Mauritania. Around 1490 AD, fleeing Mande invaders and/or drought, they migrated to eventually settle in the Bandiagara cliffs of central Mali. Legend has it that a snake led them to the cliffs at...