1st half 20th c.
Carved wood, paint
158" x 7" x 7"
Provenance: Allan Stone Collection, New York
The sirige mask binds the Dogon people of Mali to the celestial world of heaven (where the afterworld exists) and Earth, which provides food, shelter and life. It is performed with other dancing masks in a masked funeral dance called a dama to honor the passing of a respected elder. The skilled dancers of the sirige mask (meaning 'storied house'
also called tiu^) use their teeth to balance the 20-foot (6-meter) high mask, which is carved from the limb of a single tree. Dancers swing the mask in sweeping motions to represent the arc of the sun. The mask's design, a straight line, serves to connect the worlds of the sun and Earth through the conduit of the dancer and his body. Like all Dogon masks, the sirige belongs to the afterworld, the realm where life and death meet. it's also believed to represent the ancestral heritage and generational lineage of the deceased. The dama dance ceremony will often last for three days and involve dozens of dancers representing figures from the animal world, male and female powers, and the afterworld. Once the dama dance has been performed, the aged bones of the elder are placed in the caves for the dead.
References
Rainier, Chris. Unique Dogon Culture Survives in West Africa. National Geographic News, May 29, 2003 (news.nationalgeographic.com)

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