The Kanaga mask is a mask of the

Dogon Dogon may refer to: *Dogon people, an ethnic group living in the central plateau region of Mali, in West Africa *Dogon languages, a small, close-knit language family spoken by the Dogon people of Mali *'' Dogon A.D.'', an album by saxophonist Juliu ...

Mali Mali (; ), officially the Republic of Mali,, , ff, 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞥆𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 𞤃𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭, Renndaandi Maali, italics=no, ar, جمهورية مالي, Jumhūriyyāt Mālī is a landlocked country in West Africa. Mali ...

traditionally used by members of the

Awa Society Awa (in Dogon), also known as the Awa Society, the Society of Masks, is an African mask and initiatory society of the Dogon people of Mali which is made up of circumcised men, and whose role is both ritual and political within Dogon society. T ...

, especially during the ceremonies of the cult of the dead (''dama'', ceremony of mourning).

Symbolism

The Kanaga mask evokes the Creator God ''Amma''. It presents a double cross shape, which reminds the creation of the world, danced during funeral ceremonies where it is used by members of the Awa society. The general uninitiated public tends to see there various animal subjects : the ''kommolo tebu'' (a bird), the lizard, the iguana, the ''barâmkamza dullogu'' (a water insect), the hand of God or the female spirit of the trees (''gyinu ya'').''Dogon… mais encore'', Département d'Ethnologie,

Université de Strasbourg The University of Strasbourg (french: Université de Strasbourg, Unistra) is a public research university located in Strasbourg, Alsace, France, with over 52,000 students and 3,300 researchers. The French university traces its history to the ea ...

br>
/ref> The mask is represented both in male and female form. The male version is the most numerous. Pascal James Imperato, Imperato, Pascal James (cont. Martin and Osa Johnson Safari Museum), ''The Cultural Heritage of Africa'', Safari Museum Press (1974), pp. 28-29 Kanaga is represented on the flag of

French Sudan French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with France ...

(1892–1958) and the ephemeral Republic of Sudan (1958–1959). As well as that of the Federation of Mali (1959–1960) grouping

Senegal Senegal,; Wolof: ''Senegaal''; Pulaar: 𞤅𞤫𞤲𞤫𞤺𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭 (Senegaali); Arabic: السنغال ''As-Sinighal'') officially the Republic of Senegal,; Wolof: ''Réewum Senegaal''; Pulaar : 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 � ...

and the Sudanese Republic.

Gallery

File:WLA brooklynmuseum Dogon Kanaga Mask in Three Pieces 3.jpg File:Brooklyn Museum 1995.171.11a-c Kanaga Mask in Three Pieces.jpg File:COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Houten masker TMnr 6372-2.jpg File:Raccolte Extraeuropee - AFR 00014 Bassani - Porta Dogon - Mali.jpg File:Masques dogon du Mali-Musée du quai Branly.jpg File:Flag of French Sudan (1958–1959).svg, Flag of

File:Flag of Mali (1959–1961).svg, Flag of

Mali Federation The Mali Federation ( ar, اتحاد مالي) was a federation in West Africa linking the French colonies of Senegal and the French Sudan, Sudanese Republic (or French Sudan) for two months in 1960. It was founded on 4 April 1959 as a territor ...

(1959-1961)

References

Bibliography

Marcel Griaule Marcel Griaule (16 May 1898 – 23 February 1956) was a French author and anthropologist known for his studies of the Dogon people of West Africa, and for pioneering ethnographic field studies in France. He worked together with Germaine Die ...

Germaine Dieterlen Germaine Dieterlen (15 May 1903 in Paris – 13 November 1999 in Paris) was a French anthropologist. She was a student of Marcel Mauss, worked with noted French anthropologists Marcel Griaule (1898-1956) and Jean Rouch ...

, ''Le renard pâle : 1 Le Mythe cosmogonique'', fasc. 1 ''La création du monde'', Institut d'Ethnologie, Paris, 1991 (rééd.), *Nadine Martinez, ''Écritures africaines: esthétique et fonction des écritures Dogon, Bamana et Sénoufo'', L'Harmattan, Paris, 2010, 272 p. *Famedji-Koto Tchimou, ''Langage de la danse chez les Dogons'', L'Harmattan, Paris, 1995, 174 p. Masks African art Masks in Africa {{Mali-stub