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This information was automatically generated from data provided by MOA: University of British Columbia. It has been standardized to aid in finding and grouping information within the RRN. Accuracy and meaning should be verified from the Data Source tab.

Description

Wood rectangular face mask (part a) with tall ladder-like superstructure with two breaks (parts b-c). The face mask has two sunken rectangular areas on either side of the nose, and two small cutout square eye holes. Inside, there is a wooden bite bar inserted through holes on sides. Ears extend along each side of the face, with small points extending up. Red plant fibre hair is attached to the back of the mask. Extending from the top of the head, between the ears, is a tall superstructure of panels alternating between various hourglass shapes, and lines, tapering in at the end with a sphere at the tip. The superstructure has split, almost in half, through the sixth panel (part b), and again through the eleventh panel (part c) near the top.

History Of Use

In the past, these masks could reach 18 ft high, and were kept in special caves. The sirige mask (meaning 'storied house'̂) is performed in the Sigi ceremony, held every 60 years to honor the ancestors and renew life force, and during the funeral ceremony of a deceased male community member that took part in a Sigi ceremony. Now, like most Dogon masks, they are also used in civic ceremonies and to greet tourists.

Item History

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