Dimensions: H:21.3" W:9.4" L:5.9" Weight: 3.3 lbs.
Dogon Walu Mask by Dogon Tribe in Mali - The Dogon tribe refers to this wooden mask as a walu mask. The walu mask is one of the various animal masks danced at the Dama ceremony, which is held every 10 - 15 years during a bountiful crop and is thought to depict an antelope (an animal admired by the Dogon for its strength and beauty). The mythical story of Amma's creation (the Creator God) of the antelope is said to be told through the walu masquerade's dance. The performer dances while holding a stick, pretending to dig in the ground and plant seeds.
About the Tribe
Dogon are an ethnic group from Mali's central plateau region that extends into Burkina Faso. They arrived in the area around the 14th century CE. The majority of them live in the rocky hills, mountains, and plateaus of the Bandiagara Escarpment. The Dogon people are shrouded in mystery due to their knowledge of astronomy that pre-dates modern technology by thousands of years. They have known information about the stars before telescopes were invented. According to them, the Sirius A, which is the brightest star in Earth’s night sky, had a much dimmer companion: Sirius B, which has a fifty-year elliptical orbit around the bright Sirius A and is extremely dense. The Dogon claim that their knowledge of astronomy involves contact with extraterrestrial life dating back to around 3,200 BC.