Spectacular Dogon Masquerade

This masquerade features a large and varied assembly of musicians and brilliant performers on foot, in the air, and on stilts, wearing masks evoking animal and human spirits and Dogon legends. Note the locale, Tireli, Mali, an agricultural village huddled into the base of a mountain in the Bandiagara escarpment, where productive land is scarce; the rhythms, steps, and gestures particular to each mask; the delight and imitative dancing of the children; the sympathetic send-up of a doddering old man, who leaps into the air when energized by his music; the village elders seated solemnly in a row toward the left; and the extraordinary vitality and athleticism of the dancing of the Kanaga (resembling the Croix de Lorraine) and Syringe (very high and fenestrated) masks. Videography by Christraud Geary, Teele Curator of African and Oceanic Art, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
http://www.elinewberger.com

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Dogon
• Mali
• Africa
• dance
• masks
• African art
• African music
• African drums
• Kanaga

[EliNewberger]

"Kanaga" is the name of the mask with the croix-de-Lorraine superstructure. The material is called "raffia," made from the leaves of the raffia palm tree. "The membrane on the underside of each individual frond leaf is taken off to create a long thin fibre which can be dyed and woven as a textile into products ranging from hats to shoes to decorative mats." (Wikipedia)

[MushyAlchemist]

Beautiful dance! Saw these masks at the Musée de Quai Branly along with this video. I was searching everywhere for the rest of it so thanks sooo much for uploading it!

[eworiso]

NICEEEEEEEEEEEEE IT SURE IS NICE LOOKING

[misterpetey]

This is an excellent performance, and certainly one of the best Dogon music and dance videos I have seen

[roseybrown]

Do you know the name of those masks with the geometric white figure on top? And do you know what that purple hula skirt-like material is?

[Junior1luv]

They are the illest!!!!

[CanadianBeaver]

Peace and Love!