Kanaga Mask

The mask called Kanaga has its face and forehead carved into windbreaks. The transverse arms consist of two parallel wooden slats of equal dimensions, attached and tied in an X-shaped arrangement. The upper part may be topped by two small statuettes representing the primordial couple, the first couple considered by the Dogon to be their first ancestor. It has the shape of a Cross of Lorraine.

It is the best-known mask of the Dogon. In addition to the triangular shape of the face, it always has eye openings, usually triangular. The jaw is represented by the beak of the mythical bird komolo or komondo, and the lower conical shape represents its tongue. A structure of this. The cross refers to the creation myth. Its upper arms symbolise the supernatural world and therefore point towards the sky. Its lower arms point towards the ground and symbolise the earthly world. The line between the two parts joins the two worlds. According to Dogon mythology, the cross of the mask is the hand of God, and the bird is the creator god who unites heaven and earth. In ritual dances, the wearer bends down, directing the cross towards the ground to establish a link between heaven and earth. In the funerary rites of the Awa society, the masks dance on the roof of the deceased’s house to lead his soul to eternal rest and, at the same time, protect the living from the harm his spirit might cause them.

Mask from the chiefdom of Prince Traoré.