Product Description
Gomintogo Deer Mask, Dogon – Mali
This beautiful ‘Gomintogo’ or ‘Hare mask’ of the Dogon, from the Bandiagara Escarpment in eastern Malimask’, represents one of the approximately 80 mask types of the Dogon. The Dogon people have created more than eighty mask types to represent characters in their cosmic myths.
Made of 100% wood.
Model is W 50 – H 21 and weight 2 kg.
Description
This beautiful ‘Gomintogo’ or ‘Hare mask’ or ‘Deer Mask’ of the Dogon, from the Bandiagara Escarpment in eastern Malimask’, represents one of the approximately 80 mask types of the Dogon. This is an old carved mask from light-coloured wood, with high ‘rabbit ears’, pointed crown of head, deep-set, triangular eyes and long, narrow nose. Mouth and chin are small, round and protruding, as are both cheeks. An unusually old piece with very good usage patina on its surface, on the edges and especially on the inside at the back. The Dogon people have created more than eighty mask types to represent characters in their cosmic myths. They are worn in large numbers in funeral dances. The Dogon use such dances to lead the homeless souls of the deceased to their final resting places in the world of spirit, where they become part of the ancestor realm. Certain masks act out stories in addition to dancing. An example of this is the dyommo mask (rabbit) which performs with the dannana mask (hunter). The hunter pretends to hunt the several rabbit masks performing with him. He chases them; they flee in all directions, hiding among the spectators assembled in the village square.
The first mask was said to be originally carved by a farmer who killed it because the deer had devastated his fields. The farmer cut off the head of the deer and built into the altar hunter to shelter the spirit of the deer. This being done, the son of the farmer felt ill and the diviners advised the sculpture of a mask looking like the gomintogo. The objective was to provide material support to the vital force of the deer to prevent it to wanders and take revenge on the living people.
The Dogon an ethnic group are mainly located in the administrative districts of Bandiagara and Douentza in Mali, West Africa. The precise origins of the Dogon people, like those of many other ancient cultures, are not yet determined. Their civilization emerged, in much the same way as ancient Egypt. Around 1490 AD the Dogon people migrated to the Bandiagara cliffs of central Mali. There are approximately 700 Dogon villages, with an average of 400 inhabitants. The tribe’s folk call themselves ‘Dogon’ or ‘Dogom’, but in the older literature they are most often called ‘Habe’, a Fulbe meaning ‘stranger’. The Dogon have been described as the most studied and least understood tribal group in Africa. Their history, technology, cultural wealth, art and even oral legends are among the most involved in Africa, not least because the policy is in fact essentially artificial, comprising various sub-units that were grouped together on the basis of propinquity under the colonial administration. They are excessively prolific in terms of artistic production, not least because they have mastered all the main materials that are used in traditional African art; figures in stone, iron, bronze/copper and of course wood are all known, in addition to cave/rock painting and adaptation of more modern materials.
Additional information
Weight | 2 kg |
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Dimensions | 50 × 21 cm |
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