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Mali Kanaga Mask (M-KAN-008)

AU $433.50

1 in stock

Description

One of the most popular types of masks in the Sanga region are the kanaga masks. Like other Dogon masks, kanaga masks are worn at rituals called dama, whe aims to transport the souls of deceased family members away from the village and to enhance the prestige of the deceased and his descendants by impressive masked performances and generous displays of hospitality. This recreation of an order that has been disturbed by death involves a wide display of symbolic practices: the deploying of masks, songs, music and an abundant consumption of food and millet beer. Sometimes the dama may last as long as six days.
These masks are characterized by a wooden superstructure in the form of a double-barred cross with short vertical elements projecting from the tips of each horizontal bar.

The deeper meaning of the kanaga mask apparently pertains both to God, with the crossbars representing his arms and legs, and to the arrangement of the universe, with the upper crossbar representing the sky and the lower one the earth.

Mask Information

Country of Origin…………….. Mali
Culture………………………… Bagangara
Function……………………….. Ritual
Dimensions……………………. 124 x 54 x 15cm
Weight………………………….2kg

 

 

Additional information

Weight 3 kg
Dimensions 124 × 54 × 14 cm