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Iconographic Meaning

Sigi (teh bush buffalo) is identified by its massive horns. The small figures on it celebrate farming and fishing: the figures above hold winnowing baskets, the figures below hold fish.

Description

Large bush buffalo (sigi) puppet head, with figures above, attached to three ladder-like superstructures. The animal head is carved with thin repeating lines, which are painted white and with rows of coloured dots overtop in red, yellow, black, green and blue. The nose is black, with open nostrils. The large ears with repeating green diamonds are folded forward, sitting just below the large eyes with metal eyelids and circular nail head decorations. The mouth is hinged and opens, and is held in place with rubber inside the head. There is black pattern with orange and yellow fabric cover extending from the neck, and two long lengths of horizontally striped, woven textile extending from the chin. On top of the central superstructure is a black bird with red beak and crest, moveable wings with fabric over joints, and is painted with rows of repeating dots in yellow, white and blue. On each side superstructure, are small yellow human-like figures in tunics with moveable arms that move up and down and hold white fish. At the top of each, facing forwards, mounts two large yellow female human-like figures in tunics with breasts exposed, with moveable arms that are each holding a round shield or sign in green, yellow, white and red with an arrow design at centre. Each has a length of plastic cord threaded down through superstructure.

History Of Use

A mobile stage is covered with cloths, concealing the men inside, who move the stage across the dance area. Fitted in front with a wooden animal head (an antelope or buffalo mask), the stage itself is a large puppet. The performances are organized by the village youth organizations, kamalen ton. Sogobò is organized into a series of up to twenty discrete performances separated by short intervals of song and dance. Puppet ensembles include balanin fola (small rod puppets), merekun (large rod puppets), Yayoroba (beautiful women), and maani (smaller figurative forms). The puppet heads or figures poke out from the top of the cloth frame, and are made to twirl and dance as they tower above the stage. The puppets and masks depict animals, fantastic creatures, hunters and characters from village life. Short performances focus on themes of family and village rivalry, jealously and unity, as well as masculine values and their identification with hunters. Bamana farmers and Bozo fishermen participate together in these performances now, but the oral tradition suggests puppet theater originated with the Bozo.

Narrative

Tchuemegne purchased these 20th century Sogobò puppets, textiles and frames (3420/79-100) from Mr. Amadou Fantasa, an elder from the village of Markala in central Mali, in 2019. Fantasa recalled that the puppets had been used in the biannual festivals marking the beginning of the rainy season (June), and related agricultural and fishing activities, and at the start of the dry season (Oct) to signal the coming of the grain harvest. He said the puppets had been in use from 2012-2016, but after that they were in storage. The "coming forth of the masks and puppets in Markala", frequently refered to as "Marakala Sogobò" or "Dobò", is now inscibed on UNESCO's List of Intangible Cultural Heritage.