Imina sirige (house mask)

early–mid-20th century

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 341

Sirige masks feature prominently in ceremonies that mark the beginning and end of mourning for deceased members of the Awa society. Each row can be understood to represent a generation within a family, visually reinforcing the ancestral ties activated through funeral ceremonies. Black openwork sections, echoing the form of a house facade, are divided by lighter solid areas. Known as ganubire, the physically demanding choreography for sirige masks requires the performer to bend down so that the tip of the thirteen-foot-high structure touches the ground to one side of a funerary bundle. He then raises the mask and again bends to touch its tip to the ground on the opposite side. The arc created by this movement has been compared to the mythical path of the ark that carried the eight original ancestors from the heavens to earth.

Artwork Details

Object Information

Overview

Provenance

References

Title: Imina sirige (house mask)
Artist: Dogon artist
Date: early–mid-20th century
Geography: Mali, Bandiagara Escarpment
Culture: Dogon peoples
Medium: Wood, pigment
Dimensions: H. 157 3/4 x W. 8 1/2 x D. 6 1/4 in. (400.7 x 21.6 x 15.9 cm)
Classification: Wood-Sculpture
Credit Line: Gift of Lester Wunderman, 1977
Object Number: 1977.394.52a, b
Curatorial Department: The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing

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