Rod Puppet

Item number 3420/98 from the MOA: University of British Columbia.

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Description

Painted, mask-style animal head on a wooden stick. The white cat-like head is painted with black and yellow spots, and the ears and mouth are painted red. The face has painted large circular eyes, and whiskers below the long carved nose. A wooden handle is inserted into the back of the head, and is unpainted. There are large metal staples spaced around the back of the head.

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.