Kanaga mask

Kanaga Mask –Dogon– (Mopti Region, Mali)

The Kanaga is, without a doubt, the most recognizable and famous Dogon mask. Her stylized face is placed under two pairs of geometric arms, which can symbolize a lizard, a bird, an insect or Amma, the creative deity, pointing to the sky and the earth. It all depends on the level of initiation you have reached within the society of the masked Awa... or who tells you.

The masked men wear this mask in the ceremony known as Dama, in which they recount different episodes of creation with their dance. Its presence indicates the end of mourning for the relatives and neighbors of those who died during the year.

The Kanaga mask that we offer at Black Market presents the face with eyes and ears carved in wood and decorated with white, red and black pigments. The double cross is anchored by ropes smeared with tar.

Height: 114cm; Width: 47cm; Weight: 1.70 Kg