Tribal Art

A wide variety of African animal masks are in use among the Dogon, such as the African mask Dogon associated with the antelope, the walu, animal of the African cosmogony. Vertical partitions form the face of this mask, which is also flanked by narrow ears and extended backwards by long horns. Polychrome patterns remain under the grainy dry surface. Use cracks and erosions.
Alongside Islam, Dogon religious rites are organized around four main cults: the Lébé, relating to fertility, the Wagem, cult of the ancestors under the authority of the patriarch, the Binou invoking the world of spirits, and the Awa mask society regarding funerals. The "dama" is a ceremony dedicated to restoring the order of things following bereavement. It was originally to protect themselves from the "nyama" (soul) of the victim that the Dogon carved a mask in the image of an animal. Guarantor of order, the mask of the Walu charges the spectators too close to the dancers. A pantomime then illustrates the legend of the mythical walu. Many villages have this mask with different meanings.