Hunter Mask “dana-na“ – Wood – Dogon – Mali

Ex Zemanek-Münster,

Provenance Justin Barthels (Maastricht, NL)

“Dana-na” carries a spear, a fly-whisk and a leather bag filled with medicine. It dances around gesturing wildly and imitating the movements of a hunter stalking game.

Beatiful zoömorphic (animal forms) Dogon mask with ancestor figure on top. The DOGON have more than eighty kinds of masks, crafted to represent the characters of their cosmic myths. They are worn by large numbers during funerary dances. The DOGON use these dances to guide the homeless souls to their resting place, in the world of the spirits, where they become part of the ancestors. Some masks tell the stories, next to the dances. An example of all this is the dymmo mask (rabbit), which appears with the dannana mask (hunter). The hunter pretends to hunt several rabbit masks, and then, they start to flee in all directions, and hide among the crowd, on the village square.
Described in “Imperato, Dogon Cliff Dwellers, L. Kahan Gallery Inc., 1978″.
Good condition with a beautiful aged patina.