MASKS
AND
0 ver the years, I have had many op-
portunities to see the performance
of masks that take place at the "end of
mourning," or darl~n,' ceremonies of the
Dogon people of Mali, and to pursue the
meaning and symbolism of these events.
I have been able to study the masks, both
in the strictly regulated processions a n d
In the dances and mimes that take place
in the public square. The masks appear
~ndi\.~dually or in groups of men wearing
the same type.
Marcel Griaule recorded the first
commentaries concerning Dogon masks
inMnsql~t,~ riogons (1938). The information
he was given stemmed from what
the Dogon call "front speech" (L~arolr~ i e
fme, orgiri st]), which is an early stage of
knowledge given to children, circum-
cised adolescents beginning their educa-
tion, and, of course, to strangers. It con-
sists of an anecdote or tale, such as a
hunting or war story, that is purposely
enigmatic in form and is intended to
awaken the curiosity of the listener.
Since Griaule's initial publication, the
study of Dogon cosmogony has necessi-
tated a reconsideration of the subject of
the masks. The Dogon classify cos-
mogony as "clear speech"(;~ilrolrclair~~, or
so rh!/ii or as "speech of the world"(~1nr01~
L ~ L II I I C I I I I ~ L ' , or L~CIUIIO I t is revealed to
highly instructed men and women, to
those in charge of a section of Dogon
society, to initiates responsible for a cult,
and to those who persevere in penetrat-
ing more deeply into Dogon knowledge.
According to interpretations begun as
early as 1946, masks, as well as the cos-
tumes, ornaments, accessories, mimes,
songs, rhythms, and dances that accom-
pany them, can be integrated into the
cosmogony, mythology, a n ~ history i of
the Dogon. "The societv of masks,"
MYTHOLOGY
AMONG
THE
DOGON
Ogotemm6li told Griaule, "is the entire
world. And when i t moves onto the pub-
lic square it dances the step of the world,
it dances the system of the world. Be-
cause all men, all occupations, all for-
eigners, all animals are carved into
masks or woven into hoods" (Griaule
1948:179).
The Dogon term irnirzrl, which is trans-
lated as "mask," refers not only to the
objects made of carved a n d painted
wood or of plaited and dyed fibers, or the
huge wigs that entirely conceal the
wearer's head. It also designates the cos-
tume the dancer wears and the acces-
sories he carries. As is generally the case
in West Africa, the wearers of masks
among the Dogon remain mute, with the
exception of the ritual shouts they voice
during the processions.
The term irnirla has still other mean-
ings to its users. For example, the parti-
cipants in the sigi ceremony, held every
sixty years (see Dieterlen 197l:l-ll), are
called "masks" although their faces re-
main uncovered. They sing while they
-.
dance, wearing a special costume that
consists of a bonnet, cowrie-shell vests,
a n d other ornaments; those who partici-
pated in the preceding sigi wear eirery-
day garments. All males. from those
fifty-nine years old to the small boys who
can barely walk,Vake part in the pro-
sessions and the d ~ n c e sin the public
square, remaining in strict age order. A$
"masks" they represent themselves, that
is to say, the generations that h a g
flourished since the last sigi.
Ne\v mask types such as "madan:t.,"
"tourist," and "policeman" were in-
vented as people with new functions ap-
peared in the Dogon area, but they hav
been only t e m p ~ r a r y .In 3
~ contrast, th -
masks that are permanent, that are a13
\vays included in each d~z~rln, are those;
that evoke niythic personalities 3
events. These are always described~r
relation to astronomy, as it is conceived.
by the Dogon, and include a n c e s t o d
animals, plants, and even objects thal
played a n important role during the long:
history of the plC1lnetand its occupants.;
When seen in performance, the masks:
bring to life "ancestors" that may be hu-:
man, animal, or vegetal. In form the%
resemble their subjects, seen from th
perspective of the Dogon aesthetic. Th4 i
colors with which they are painted, their;
costumes, and their ornaments reveal,
the presence of the four basic elements."
Black refers to "water," red to "fire,"-
bvhite to "air," and yellow or ochre t q
"earth." These "four things" (kize tray), as
the Dogon call them, are the "same"; that
is, they are the matrixes with which the
Creator Amma brought the universe into1
existence (Griaule & Dieterlen 1965:61)-j
For the Dogon, a mask that is not
brilliant colors - or not repainted if
had been carved and used for a previous;
4
ilattla - is nothing but a piece of wood
elegantly sculpted but devoid of life!
witl-tput any \.slue.'
Except for the ritual shouts they utter1
to evoke the actions of the Fox, the maskj
wearers rennain mute. Ne\,ertheless they
wear ,I long banci of \\.bite cotton cloth;
k~iottedaround their hips, the ends ofj
 ,,hi; : rt'cli~i alnlo5t ~ L ILIlt'gr.0~1ncl;Liiis i';
hc . \-niI)~ii( i t <>rc:! s p ~ ~ e c l i ,1i1ch ijra5
pye..lt.~i men and \\-hich tlivir mvthic
enitor, Xommo, i17 Ihc easthl! t o r n ~ , i
;h91, \\.(11.e b e t l ~ e e nhis teeth \.\'itii l7is
@ed toligue, in ttlc water of the fil-st
nd.
TGriaLilr. liar alreadp described t h e
l y n l b o l i s ~ ~u it t h r e e t!,pes of D o g o n
flasksin terms of the ~ F p e r n l o Slevel t of
pgon kno\\.ledge. Tlicse are the k n ~ r t r ~ i r ,
I m r r ~ ito,
i a n d siri~c' masks (Figs. 2-4)
(~riaulel93S:170 ti.,596 if., 5 8 7 i t ) . Each
of tl~emrefers to different stages of the
msmogony, revealed either L>\r a detail of
heir form or by the steps of theis as-
rociated dances, ~vliichfollo\v edch other
sfid are accompan~ed by changes of
hythm. All three represent e\.ents that
Dok place at the beginning o f the crea-
tion of the universe by a single God,
m m a , \cha is immortal, orn~iipotent,
+ omnipresent. They refer to the
movement that .Amma ilnpressrd on the
@ar universe after lie created it, a n d
$e descent of a n "ark" containing all
that was to live on the Earth.
.:The X n i i ~ r g o m a s k r e p r e s e n t s t h e
movement i ~ n p o s e dup013 the unlx7erse
Anma. "The trcnibling of its \vearerfs
a r m is t h e movement of
.Amma's h a n d s creating the \4~orld."6
& P I S t i , ".4mma's door," represents
lmma "ope11" so that the totality of crea-
tion can cnlerge f r o m h i s b r e a s t , o r
"dosed," after he has finished his work.
me siriye mask represents the stars in
great number, ~mpl\.inginfinite multipli-
cation and y~rgsvstinga series of galaxies
and t!izir mox-eme~its in space. It also re-
-fers :. Jgcl's journe!. bct\t.een Heaven
dnd E.:~.th,\%.hen11e \\,as trying to iind a
remedy for his incompleteness; to the
d e s ~ e n tof N o m m o ' s ark; a n d to t h e
many-storied family house, which shel-
ler~the ancestral altars a n d \\,hose ar-
3.-.i. t ~ c f u r eclearly recalls the preceding
Wents.
Until this point in the myth the Earth
Ras a hea\.enly body occupiecl hy onl!,
One of Amma's creations, Ogo, w h o was
Ern prematurely. Because of Ogo's in-
completeness a n d his revolt against
Amma, he \vas loxvere~ifrom his original
!lutmn condition 2nd t s a ~ ~ s t o r nintc, ~ e ~ai
-Wdruped, the Fox. T h e three masks
refer to the habitation of the planet by
Ogo's celestial "brother," Nomrno, the
.w- genitor of humanity; a n d by his
*ns," primordial ancestors o f the pre-
-*tpeoples w h o came d o w n in the ark
1 & D i t e 1965165, f i g 48;
*Oin, fig. 53; 438, fig. 101).
MY @\kTii research revealed the nature
??! function of various humans, anj-
-!!%ls, and plants that appear either dur-

- 1 SAWANA ISAMO) MASK WOOD PklNT 42 2cm

THE METROPOLITHN MUSEUM OF AF-
-~".
A-

GIF! OF LESTER WUNDE?l,^At, 6;"

&
isk

ing the stages of creation that follow
these events, or in the course ot the ac-
tual history of the Dogon. I give a few
evamples here of how they are repre-
sented by the masks.
Pullo, the F~ilarri
When Griaule collected intormatinn on
the mask known aspullo, "Peul" or "Fu-
lani" (Griaule 1938:569-72, fig. 150), his
informant described it in terms of "front
speech," parole deface. The real name ot
this mask is dyobi, "the runner" (Fig. 5).
It is always worn by very young men
w h o h a v e just joined t h e society o t
m'isks after leaving the retreat that fol-
lows circumcision. The performer of this
mask wears a white tunic a n d a cord
around his neck from which fibers hang
to his knees. In o n e h a n d h e holds a
gourd, in the other a lance; between his
. iiyobi is
legs is a small wooden i ~ o r s eThe
the first mask to appear after the d r u m
call. He does not dance, but rather runs
here a n d there in disorder. Although
keeping to the edge o t the pertormance
area, he later rejoins the series o t other
masks that appear atter him in single file.
The i f ! i ~ ~represents
bi O g o betare his
transformation into the Fox. Although
the mask emphasizes his primar); intan-
tileaspect, it also shows his characteristic
independencc. It refers to Ogo's tearing
out a piece of his placenta that would be-
come the ark; finding himself alone a n d
incomplete; stealing seeds from Amma,
which he put in a gourd, likewise stolen;
holding a weapon; a n d riding a horse,
thereby recalling the journeys h e made
between Heaven andEarth i n a n a t t e m p t
to recover the rest of his placenta a n d his
T!
--
-'1"
lost twin. The red fibers worn wi,h t~
mask are the blood o f the wounds in
tlicted o n Ogo - n cut tongue, Wound,a
l a r y n x , a n d c i r c u m c i s e d genitals
when h e attempted to expropriate for
himself the souls o f the Nommo whd-
was sacrificed; h e was thus deprived
speech a n d of his primordial androgmp
After all t h e s e events, h e w a s trans.
formed into the Fox a n d condem. 2 d G
remain o n Earth (Griaule & Die;erlei
1a65:175-223; 225-384). The knowledii
that Amma accorded O g o in the begin.
ning a n d never removed from him would
b e transmitted to men o n the divination
tableswhere they i s ould read footprintso(
the Fox's descendants. These are not,
however, obligated to tell the truth.
Various features o f t h e rlyobi ma&
evoke t h e status a111 life of the Fo . For
example, the dyobi comes and g0i.q; he
ambles about in the fields without order
or a n y particular direction, or lines up
with the procession of other masks. S q
ilarly, the Fox's d i ~ i n a t i o ntables, drawq
in the sand, are never oriented in a par;
ticular direction. This is in contrast to
buildings, furnishings, altars, and rock
paintings, which, whenever possible,
are placed in accordance with the ;.~rd.
n'il direction,.
As sedentary farmers, the Dogon have
inserted a bit of irony in their first levelof
interpretation o t the p~illo mask. The
p ~ i l l o , t h e y o u n g " F u l a n i nomad''
herdsman, is like the Fox; h e is withoil
land of his o w n . Provided with a goura
tor carrying water a n d ~ v i t ha lance for
attacking or detending himself, he wan-
ders tirelessly, alone, irom pasture alnd-
to pasture land, lending his herd. I

Walu, flle A11fe1opc~

This a n t e l o p e a p p e a r s q u i t e early in
Dogon cosmogony (Griaule & Dieterlen
1?65:289, fig. 98). 1Valu was born at the
time o f t h e sacrifice of N o m m o , thy
mythic genitor of humanity, which took
place in the heavens. W~7111is the matend'
s u p p o r t of o n e o t Nommo's spi::rual
principles. His s t o y continues on E'lrth.
A m m a m a d e i ~ ' l l 1 1 i r e s p o n s i b l e for
watching over the path of the s u n , the
Fox's transformed placenta, which the
Fox is always seeking in order to take
possession of his female twin. Unable to
attain the sun, the Fox plots his revenge
o n the antelope. H e digs holes in the
earth a n d lies in wait. Running from east
to west, rualcl falls into one of these holes
a n d gravely wounds his feet. O n e ot the
first ancestors, Dyongou Serou, tries
heal him, b u t without much success,
PV~1lu gets u p limping. H e tries to reach
the Blacksmith, the twin of Nommo, to

2 < :;,'.\~;q blj<S(J[jEH;,re= -2:\.! S,.i>.<.!

- - -.~ ,',1,'' ,3CC[
--
.:;q. S' .I - ',' .. ; 5.:
~ - , - ,',<
. j'? '3 I - ; FIG I :u
 d,b his help, hut L?';ics c ) t his w o u n d s at
!he Black~mith's> i i c . ?:'t71li1s m'itc joins
.:,? Black~mithand delii~ersher young
inthe Spot, thereby assuring the con-
!,,,uity ot thc s p ~ " i e s .This part of the
is represented by various objects
?"d wall paintinss in a series of rock
.be]t!~r.sa n d c a v e in the region of Uppel.
qanp,.:. Tra\.eling from north to south
, v e ~m . ore than a kilometer,
dnecan clearly "rcLid" the path iclalr, took
:,his tomb.
The dance and mime of the zcwlrt mask
(Fig. 6 ) , perforllied d u r i n g t h e pro-
cessions a n d in t h e public s q u a r e ,
.:loquentl~ evoke these events (Griaule
!;)?8:444-49). The ivearer holds a long
,tick in his hand to support his steps.
Frorr rime to time he approaches the
procession of other masks that he ac-
;ompanies, and makes a show of ~ i v i n g
furious blows ivitli his horns, as if to
chase away the Fol. If he encounters a
&obi mask he redoubles his attacks to
hake it flee. The ;c~nliimask walks on to
[he public square, tighting all the while,
and then falls to earth as if wounded.
I The "healer" mask, which represents
I

Dyoneou Serou, d r a w s near him in first to discover the red fibers - u ~ l ~ o s e

order to heal him, but the ic~nllt gets up
and continues his path, limping yain-
fully untiI he finally exits.
The face of the sntili~bemask (literally,
"superimposed sister") is surmounted
by a female figure car\.ed in wood (Fig.
7). She is dressed in a skirt and orna-
ments made of red fiber, and coiffed with
a h o o d of braided black fibers. Her
forearms are raised, and she brandishes
a calabash in her left hand and an imita-
tion of a fly14.11isk in her right hand. The
first level of interpretation of this mask
situates the person represented in the
domain of the Andouniboulou, descen-
dants of Ogo prior to his transformation
into the Fox. The mask represents an
Andoumboulou \\.oman who was the
origin is not stated in the sisi language
-and who used them to mask herself in
order to frighten the men. The men took
the fibers away from her, affirming their
authority, but she was named "sister" oi
the masks, to commemorate her disco\--
cry.
On the level of "speech of the 14~orld"
or "clear speech," the figure on the mask
represents Yasigi, the female t ~ v i no t
Ogo after he hecame the Fox. Yasigi be-
longed to the generation of Nommo and
the Fox, that is, the oldest generation of
all. The calabash that the figure holds In
her hand recalls the fundamental role of
woman at the celebration of the first
s i g i . It w a s s h e w h o , a s a n e l d e r ,
brought and distributed the beer made
by the women. This drink w a s con-
s u m e d by all the participants, \vho
thereby celebrated the revelation of
 "speech" transmitted by Nommo to the
ancestors of mankind. Yasigi became
the first dignitary of the ceremony; her
title, yasiginc, means "woman of sigi. "
he red fibers adorning the figure re-
call another episode o f the myth. En-
couraged by the Fox, Yasigi cultivated
the fonio that he had planted, which be-
came red and impure. The same hap-
pened to the hibiscus that grew on the
e d g e of the field. This was because
Yasigi hoed with her clitoris, thereby
excising herself and impregnating the
earth and the plants with her own blood.
Later, after other events, the red hibiscus
fibers came to be used as ornaments on
the costumes worn with the masks.
Throughout her life, Yasigi, who had
the same character as her twin, the Fox,
and who was often counseled by him,
committed error after error and freely
broke all prohibitions. Having gone too
far, she was chastised by Amma and died
while pregnant. Despite her sins, Yasigi
was buried apart from the others, since
she was the first !/(lsiiyiilc. Her body was
covered with red fibers recalling her past
experiences, and another ynsigiile was
chosen both to replace her and to repre-
sent her during the celebration of the
second scgi, sixtv years later.
Today, during the installation of a
!insi,yi~i~.,
the elder \vho officiates at the
,lItar ot the masks says: "Here is the sister
ot the masks." When a ynsigirrc dies, her
b o d is displayed dressed in skirts and
bracelets miide otred tibers. Before being
carried to the ceretery i t is greeted by
masks from all the areas that had been
told o i her death (Griai~le1938:275, 337
tt.).
Duri11gthelfi~ri~~?
ceremony, performed
for all the recent dead, a mask called
6 VlCIO0 PAINT 4 9 2cn
.I<LIJ (i\i.ricLi)PE) hI&C
THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUN OF ART
GIFT OF LESTER IYUNDERMAN 1979

satirrrllc was carved to recall Yasigi's role stopped working (Griaule & D
during the iirst sigi. One of the songs 1965:506). The Fox, w h o had
acted
that accompanies the dance of t h e s i i t ~ t ) ~ l ~ ~ ' in oppositior! to the Creat
mask in the village of Touyougou tes- declared that Amma
tifies to the character and tragic destiny was taking power. He decided to
of Yasigi: "The cunning Yasamma (liter- beer from the seeds of the grains h
ally, 'wife-sister') has fallen ~ i e ~ i dThe
."~ hidden from Amma.
tivo dances accompanying the sntililbc and dance on the terrace of his "fat
and their corresponding rhythms are re- to celebrate his funera
lated to the seeds the Fox sowed by the Fox w a n t e d to
broadcasting, and the cultivating clone domination o i the No
by Yasigi, that is, how she covered the in terrestrial waters and who wa
seeds with earth. over the spiritual principlesof hum
ings, his "children." To do this he p
/* -.i
- 1 "
',= C1 's
I
,
"

I
Sa ku or Azagay
The mask calledsa k ~ (literally,
i "head of
off the bark of the sn tree, the ea
symbol of the sacrifice and
of Nommo, and fabri
?7-:. so") or n:a);ay (Fig. 8) refers to a basic it. ,The torn bark was red lik
' . . C, slage of Dogon cosmogony. After Amma this act had the effect of flay'
created the universe and handed over its alive, of repeating on E x t h
operation to the Nommo ~ i ~ o n i t owho rs . ~ $??"I
that had ocsurrcci in H t , a \ . ~ nThe
<,r!,, , .,
~ d iSAi.l(;A
c . ~ L . ,FULANII M ~ S ~ J L E R A U Et R ! n1aintaint.d the order he had i.stClblished drank i hit of beer, hut his contain?[ $
FRJ,\,I GEIAULE 1938 ~ ~ :.:L; 7 0 I ~ , in Heaven and on Earth, he momentarily imrnediatel!. strusL ~ I o r v n .~ . ~ c s l .
 . .l l L , Li<lllLL~L~
~1LYt :-i:: \\.'l. cllLlseL~;
*a!,
9e 1 , .j , I L ~ ~ I I I L111:
-
~ ~::i,:~k
I - . ~J I II L~~ ~
svL>k-
!,!tlge I l l 1' C < l \ . L > . i l 1 C n e \ t <l'l\.,
,,,s
q o ~ 1 ? nClJ ~L I~S C ' L ~ '1 5,) ~ Y L ' L thClt \\.CIS ali\.<x
Ind ILIII oi Ica\-c'. to dance; m e n , tlie de-
-ynd.'.iits of h ' o n ~ m c ~had , also made a
kask from it." T ~ I Fo\ , remains t!ie first
to ha1.c. initi,~tedfuntxr,~r!.rites, cind to
ha\.e ut'ated the first otall the masks, t l i ~
k i i . The ri\.alr! for priniac!. bet\vecn
fie 5, i:! a n d the masks madc of Iea\,e:
/giri;':iii., literall!., "so nest") has ne\.er
;east.d.

Dybnune, t l ~ c"H~~illcr."
fie mask called ii?/iil~~cric represents a
elhealer," a speclalist consulted by o n e
and all for every sort of problem (Fig. 9).
In one h a n d the \\.carer o i this mask
holds a car\,ed \vooden CLIP, a n imitation
of the pottery \-essel in \\.liich healers
macc;-ate plants and other therapeutic
ingredients. In his other hand he carries
a f l y \ c l ~ i s k .H e w a l k s a l o n g s i d e t h e
masks d u r i n g t h e p r o c e s s i o n s a n d
moves a r o u n d alone d u r i n g t h e per-
formances that take place in the public
square. Squandering his niedicines, h e
to plunpe his fly\vhisk into the
$-JM~I and to sprinkle tlie masked dancers
and the audience as soon as an). disorder
c u ; =.'If a mask breaks or if fibers fall to
the ground during the dances, they are
picked u p imnit.diately b!. an elder or an
unmasked dancer. The cf!/i)r:rrrrc. sprinkles
the ground where the incident occurred,
topurifj.it (Griaulel938:552 ff., fig. 147).
The mask refers especially to Dyongou
Serou, one of the primordial ancestors
\vho c a m e d o \ ~ no n S o n i m o ' s a r k .
D j n - ~ o uSerou was the first expert in
leal! 2. H e tried to heal the wounded
antelope, icli7lri, a n d as a result h e in-
vented medicine a n d the knowledge of
healing products. This accomplishment
is u n d e r s c o r e d b y t h e f o r m of t h e
Gooden mask. For knfi\\.ledgeable view-
ers, the carved figures surmounting the
face of the mask clearly e l ~ o k ethe a p -
pearance of death on Earth, first a m o n g
the .~.ndoumboulou(the descendants of
Ogo -fter his transformation into the
Fox) and then that of Dyongou Shrou,
Who was the first human to die. These
sequences of the myth lie outside t h e
scope of this article.

"Old CVolnail"
The " o ~ dw o m a n " mask consists o f a
braided hood with a wig of u n d y e d fibers
imitaiing white hair (Fig. 10); two oblong
h a r d . ; are suspended at chest level to
represent h e r flaccid breasts (Griaule
1938:534). T h i s m a s k r e p r e s e n t s a
metamorphosis, o r deputy, of A m m a ,
;?ho according to legend intervened dur-
_'ngthe migration of the Dogon. Seated
F s s a path o n the edge of t h e cliff, the 7 :.:- '!ai wooc P A I N T ' i c 27-
;-F !.'CTR35,LlTAI< rfuSE.~:.' L; -=-
--old lcoman" observed the behavior of -,, n t MICtilE_ C R3Cb::FELLER I / i l i i j R i A ' 2:-.ECTlON
,?

the new immigrants, both that of the el- PLIP<L'-TZF '!ELSC''. ,I HOCEL'ILLEF 5 7 ' 9 L ?
ilers w h o s t e p p e d o \ . e r h e r ~ v i t l i o ~ i t jirilial:a mask depicts a member of this
g r e e t i n g h e r a n d t h ~ of
t the young
Adouon, who stoppec! to talk to her. She
identified those whose attitude bespoke
the ability to eflectivel!. assume supreme
authority, ancl then helped them.
For all those fami11ar with this s e -
quence of the legendary history ot tlie
Arou, the miming done by the wearer of
this mask is clear. He slaps liimselion the
shoulder as if to chase arvay flies. Fie ~ l s o (Griaule 1938:579, fig. 135).
holds a calabash containing fragments of
fruits o r rags, cvhich he distributes to the
youngest spectators during the clances.
His slaps o n the shoulders are not to
chase away tlies, but to recall the young
.Advuon, abandoned o n the road by his
elders. After greeting the "old woman,"
1 4 d u ~ ~ complained
on o f h ~ ~ n g eslie
r ; told
him to climb on her sl~oulclersa n d the
nape of her neck, and to take the rice tliat
h e would find o n her head. Then slie
ga1.e him several objects that he w o l ~ l d executes patterns with his weapons a n d
iirid useful. Rejoining his starving older
brothers, he gave away the major por-
tion of these gifts in order to nourish
them, thereby acting like a noble, gener-
o u s being despite having b e e n aban-
cloned and insulted b\. them (Dieterlen
1982:ll-l-16, 166-67).
The behavior of the auclience also re-
..-eals the meaning of this ~ n a s k "When .
tile mask has made the ruunds ot tIie~1~1-
d~cincei t sits in the center of the square
2:1d receives offerings o t cowries that tlie
spectators make while kneeling, a 01s-
t~)rn~ir), gesture ot respect towarci elders"
[Griaule 1938539). It 1s e\.en more reveal-
ing \\.hen one knows that the mask hears
tcitness to the presenc* oi Aninici.
The Samo are an ensemble of lineages
that occupy part of the r e ~ i o ns u r r o ~ ~ l - t d -
ing the village of Kani Gogouna. The
ethnic group (Fig. 1). Only one srlrllrmil
m'isk participates in the ceremonies, un-
like other masks, which appear in multi-
ple examples. Its face, displaying scariti-
cation marks, l o is verv elongated and is
generally surmounted by a thin blade of
w o o d , the whole painted a brilliant
white. The wearer brandishes a lance in
his right hanel a n d a scvord in his left
Tliesa111il17rr
mask and its behavior ha\.e
been desci-ibeci m a n times by Griaule.
"The e x a ~ g e r a t e dskull of this mask is a n
important comic element that plays a
role in the mime of the dancer" (Griaule
1938:797, n. 1). The wearer performs a n
exaggerated pantomime when he must
take his t u r n s t e p p i n g across a wide
break in the rocks, a part of the rliiirl~~
ritual that occurs on the second day o f
the celebration (Griaule 1938:374). He
13 :',3?,!,11:E 1 ~ 1 E b L i qVLSCLIEPACtR
\
FROM GHIALJlE 1558 fSJ FIG 1J7
acts the boaster ( p . 571).While the
crs o t all t h e other masks remain InUte.
"he addresses the spectators and era '
cks
jokes, c r u d e l y i m i t a t i n g t h e Same
dialect. . . . After a lengthy mock battle
!vith a n i m a g i n a r y e n e m y , he falls
exhausted o n the ground" (p. 803), pro-
voking hilaritv from tlie auclience.
~ l t h o u g hcomic, this maskand '!leaf.
titudes of its wearer recall a hiztoric
event. In a n exceptional alliance with the
Fulani, the Dogon waged war in orderto
resist the military i n c u r s i o n s of the
Tukulor, propagators of Islam, who were
led bv El Hadj Omar. The Samo repre.
sented by the mask was a traitor who
tratfickeci with both sides and paicl torit
with his life. Even though in the end the
Titkulor occupied a part of Dogot- ;eri-
tory L1lldimposed their dominatic.;, the
battles ceased ,ind a compromise was in.
itiated w h e n a prestigious Tukulor chic[
"miraculously disappeared" in a cave in
Dogon country, close to Bancliagara. The
presence of the ir71rla11nmask and its ges:
tures evoke the courageous - and in
part glorious - resistance with which
tlie Dogon have faced occupation and
conversion by others.
Like us, tlie Dogon have experienced
\ .irlous degree. ot teaching. Like us,
they have classifieci their ciiscourse into
\ . ' i r i o ~ ~categories
s of "speech," \\.hich
cnsol-np~lsseseverythins \\.e call the~r
"oral literature." We must distinguish
the explanations they give concerning
the meanings ofpr'lyers, mottos, invoca-
t i o n s , a n d t h e like, w h i c h a r e Dro-
nounceci d u r i n g public ceremo:;ies,
from the stories, proverbs, 'ind legc~ids
that they recite to relatives and friends,
~ c n e r a l l yin the c\-cning. All ,ire related
to the level of kno\vledsr of their hear-
ers, anci to their !\ illingness to be taught.
A11 the levels are valid. ..
r-\ procession ot masks represents the
ensemble of the universe. Of course, the.
;i.i7lil represents an animal of the ti-~res
that one hunts and kills in order t(: ?at.
'1 his is the source tor Griaule's commen-
:.iry, which is a l i ~ ~ n t i nstory.
g But the
n ~ ~ i also s k represents an antelope ances-
tor that played the mythic role described
 . ,
, , . .,: ~ L J L , ' . i 01 cd;.,i;;.,Ldl
,.
e l r a ~J : $1 L i I . - L . c , , <:i.! ~,:.\.>i,,.,
taught at the I n q t i t ~ ~d'Ethnc>logic~
t h\, Iiappc~licdto such and s ~ l c l ia plant to
h4arccl h l a ~ l s s .\\'Iic~ii
~' controntcd \vith a c a ~ ~ b1 1t .tc) he rt.p~-~l>entcd s o rn~~n!,timcs
mask a n d a col;iinCn:;1s\ ~ l ~ ~ i i i i i i ti.c?m
ing b!. a m s k . 5~1~11 q ~ ~ c s t i o l\<.t.;-c
l s al\.\.ci!,i
a h ~ ~ n t i stor!,
i ~ g a ic~c,iidas>. cpisodc, a an~\<~crc\cl, situating the mask in mytliol-
talc, or a simple a n ~ ~ c d o t\\.ee . m.ould ask og); llistor): or o n the lcvel of social or-
in "spwch of thc \\-orld" \<,hatsuch and ganii,~:ion.

P
-
'C
HALL hlASOUERADER FF;3ii,, SANGA
FROM GRACILE 1938 471 FIG i10 L

.
-
A

briefly a b o v e . S i m i l a r l y , t h e " o l d
woman" m a s k r e p r e s e n t s a n y a g e d
\froman,maintaining lirr place in society.
But she is also the s!.mbol of Amma's de-
ut\. \vho intervened during the Dogon
2.. .
mgrjtlon. This event is described in the
-
legendary histor!, o f t h e A r o u , t h e
Dogon group that assumed supreme au-
thority and has preserved it to this d a y
ADieterlen 1982). The "healer" mask is a
specialist w h o treats the sick, but more
important it represents the first healer,
the ancestor \vho cured the iclalli.

,
I - Other examples of the multiplicity of
meanings of Dogon masks abound. The
h a r e :nask (Figs. 11,12) a n d two masks
-representing birds are symbols of game
ursued by hunters. First a n d foremost,
owever, they are three mythic animals
died because they ate part of the
first fonio harvest. This grain, planted by
[%e Fox a n d cultivated by Yasigi, be-
=Cdme red a n d impure. Likewise, o n one
level the monkey masks (Fig. 13) u n -
doubtedly represent those dreaded de-
sboy- rs of crops w h o devour the heads
0fmil;t.to n the stalk in fields far from set-
tlements. But o n another l e ~ ~ they e l are
evidence of the cathartic alliance uniting
the Dogon of the Sanga a n d Bamba re-
gions. This alliance brings with it the ob-
ligation of mutual assistance, such a s
Purifications for the gravest violations of
Prohibitions. It also calls f o r t h e ex-
change of gibes a n d insults. For exam-
Ple, \ ~ h e na person from Bamba arrives
+the market, o n e can hear a Dogon from
-nga call out to him joyfully: "Greet-
t %s, old monkey from Bamba!" to which
the other replies in the same insolent a n d
!-Qmic tone.
" In order to understand the role of the

i :&masksin relation to the Dogon system of

12 HARE h4ASk \4'\'OOD PAINT 40cm
THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART
'bought, w h e n w e were in the field Mar-
1 .%- GIFT OF h!R AND tvlPS J GORDON DOUGLAS I ! , '982

~~

rile initi'll i n f o r m c ~ t i o nc o n c e r n i n g
animal masks c o n t ~ i n sabundant refer-
ences to the invention ot masks tor the
protection ot hunters. The hunters, ancl
their descendants as well, were c.~111?era-
ble to attacks by the i-ital force f t l ! j r ~ ~ ~of ri~i
their vengetul victims. This is i 1 . h ~h u n -
ters a n d warriors surround themselves
~ v i t hmultiple protections such as altars,
special plants, a n d amulets. The mask
bvas 1' means of aftixing the force to a n
irn,lge o t the animal or the enemy killed.
Through a sacrifice. this image could be
integrated into a series of such "dead"
beings, which were depicted by the masks
during the ~ l i r t r r i ias thev were when alive.
Griaule collected much evidence on this
function, but a s early a s 1938 h e felt
this interpretation was lacking. H e be-
lieired that at the base of the institution of
masks there must be something other
than a rite performed to protect hunters
a n d warriors from theattacks of theirvic-
tims.12
O u r present goal is not merely to offer
a comparative analysis of the commen-
taries obtained at the beginning of the
investigation of m a s k s ~ ~ m o nthe
g Dogon
a n d those resulting from later research.
In cases where o n e can examine the t \ ~ . o
iliterpretations, it is clear that a n appar-
ently b'inal story, fable, o r song often re-
'3
$
~:eals a subtle association with mythol:
ozv. The male ii,alll antelope was tr.lpped
in a "pit" made by the hunter, like the
ancestor of the species w h o fell ins
" h o l e " m a d e b y t h e Fox ( G r i a u l e
1938:426, 445). The male kn antelope was
killed by the arrow of a hunter, like the
antelope that was pierced three timesby
the ancestor Dyongou Serou's arrow in
orcier to prevent it from pursuinq th,
ii'i7111 i t w a n t e d t o a t t a c k ( G r i a u l e
1938:426, 445). The s t ~ d oy f the meaning
of masks, like those based o n hunting
stories cited here, l 3 will permit new ap.
proaches to those w h o are interested in
language, oral literature, a n d systems of
thought.
A performance of masks, described
many times by Griaule, is an enormous
aesthetic demonstration. The appear;
ance ot the characters, burstin; ivith
color a n d movement, provokes the en.
thusiasm not only o f local residents but
also of outsiders. Those \\.ho are able-
generally elder men - honor the proces,
sion of masks ~ v i t ha "greeting of t@
b u s h " o n t h e first d a y o t their per-
tormance, a n d continue to praise and
e s ~ l them
t ' ~ addition, die
a f t e r ~ v a r d . In
!,erst? " e ~ i c o ~ ~ r a g e n i e n tare s " repeated
tor e,icli mask as it dances, a n d [hest
most otten include not only allusions to
their actions but also to the rhythrns ac-
companying them.
The importance of the d r u m s in the
performance of masks s h o u l d not be
oi.erlooked. Drums are mentioned frex
quently in the speeches pronounced in-
siyi language d u r i n g t h e ceremoniesi
"The d r u m s have beaten, have bcaten
~vell;the m e n have danced with the2
legs, danced with their arms" (Griaule-
1938:132,137,139, 151, 342, 515, 538, 544,
597). T h e s o n g s a n d m o t t o s pro-'
nounceci d u r i n g t h e funeral o r rlamll
ceremonies when these masks appear,
have been stuclied, a s have the dancesol
pantoniimes performeel by those whq
Ivear them. Their meaning is most o f t m
associated with niythology.. But bvhd
p r e c i s e l y is t h e c o n t r i b u t ~ o no : the
nLlmerous d r ~ ~ m m erhythms d that sup:
port anci direct them? G r i a ~ ~ recorded le
the names of more than eighty rhythms
accompanying the mask
a n d ~ ~ n d e r s c o r etheir
d importance: "The,
rhythm is represented as if it existed in-
ciependently, betore the ciance" ( ~ r i a u l e
1938:800).
bvhat are the specific relationshi~sbe'
t w e e n r h y t h m s a n d dances? H o ~ vdo
they relate to other aesthetic forms? AC
cording to a n often repeated Dogon
pression, "The mask goes to the ~ i r u m
Like a call, t h e d r u m s o p e n all e r e .
monies; the procession otinasks tollo\~'S.
The masks nelZerturn to\\-ard the specta;
"Br
 1 LJpr<l:\l~'r 1- dl-i::ll< t 1 1 ~ t 1 l c >
1 "t;rt t" hc'tc71-c,Ic:\ 1.1:: tllc p~lblii
J 5 \ < ',ell tllc' \ ~ C ~ l l ' c J ~t Ol l l~ ' : i l ' l ~ ~ lllcl~k
its It'ilp, ~ i i ~ i~s ~t i l tI! i !t i ~ ~ ~ i lthe,
m e n \cornen appear in the square dur-
fig funerals, the! al\\.a! s a p p r ~ ~ a itlic
drummers and dance in front of them.
b,,~xe of the s!.mbc~lic \ . a l ~ ~ofe these in-
~ t u m e n t s ,they pay homage to them.
l-he first rhythm to appear in Dogon
cosmogo~iy\\'as played by tlie ancestor
of t]lc genealogists xve call gi.iots. He beat
on the sk~lllof tlie sacrificed Nomrno in
Orderto punctuate the re\.elation ot the
floral word" and the teaching i t con-
tained for the ancestors of mankind.
Later they danced the sigi and drank the
co"imunal beer (Dieterlen 1982:78).
from this it seems that all a r t i c ~ ~ l a t e d
language is inseparable from rliytlini, or
lhat rhythm alone is a language "xvithout
that contirmed and supported
speeih.
- HOW can w e understand the many
admirable rhytlilns, tirelessly repeated
throughout entire nights during Dogoii
funerals? They are organically dynamic
and ineffable, and plunge those ~ v h o
execute theni and tliose rho hear them
into an almost painful euphoria, perhaps
&cause of their transience and the fact
that they must end at daybreak.
L A
- E\.idence of tlie importance of drums
> and of the age attributed to tliis in-
3trument - is provided by the number
+ f lithophones that are used in Dogon
.-
rituals. These sonorous, uncar\~edrocks
a r e found in almost all the caxres, rock
I shelters, or faults in tlie plateau in irhich
t h e stages of cosmogony arc represented
by \.arious turnishings and \\'all paint-
-ingc They are beaten ~ritli
on .; precise spot o n their surface o r
-
corner, \risibl!l worn by tlie blo~vs.In
~
general, young goatherds played these
drums to amuse themselves. The!, also
played theni during the execution of an-
-.
--nual
- rites that they alone \ v G e responsi-
, ble for performing.Ih
- It is also important to study another
musical instrument, the bullroarer, in
terms of the Dogon perspective, and to
understand the symbolism of its hum-
ming sound (Fig. 14). In the region of
Sanga, three bullroarers called iiiiiiln ila
are carved before the sigi ceremony by
its participants. The young initiated dig-
nitaries calIed ol~ibaru, "masters of the
bush," are responsible for the rites per-
taining to the "Great Maskrrthat bears the
--
same name as the bullroarers and that is
carved, painted, and consecrated for the
a r e r n o n y . The olirbnru have completed a
l o n g retreat, during which they have
learned the special language of sigi as
Well as the handling of the bullroarers,
Which they generally make h u m at night
before and during the entire course of
"
the ceremony.
Elongated oval \vooden boards, these
instruments are pierced at one end by a
CL~LI~I-C,
' tllt5
l c s~ r o ~ ~ n d.
h to tlie terrace of the deceased's house.
1 4 BL'LLROAHERS h4fiDE OF V\O
' CDA N D IRON
FROII' G Y I A U L E 1933 253 FIG 43
hole in ~ ~ h i ac hlong twisted cord is at-
tached, allo~vingthem to be spun and
turned.17 O n the level of myth, each of
the three bullroarers is a tongue. The first
is that of the Fox, which was cut at the
same time as his larynx when he tried to
a p p r o p r i a t e ~ o m m o ' ss o u l s a t t h e
time of his sacrifice. The second is that of
the sillire fish, symbol of the h u m a n
fetus, which was fished improperly by
the ancestor, Dyongou Serou. Dyongou
Serou wished to place it on the altar h e
established for his own benefit, without
the authorization of the resuscitated
Nommo, the mythic genitor of mankind.
The third bullroarerltongue is tliat of
Dyongou Serou himself, w h o was sac-
rificed to pay for this outrage a n d to
make possible mankind's de\,elopment
on Earth. After various transformations,
including a resurrection in the form of a
round stones serpent follo~vedby a new death, a long
w o o d e n s e r p e n t called t h e " G r e a t
Mask," iriiiiin izn, was carved for the sigi
to represent Dyongou Serou as an ances-
tor.
For t h e Dogon, t h e s e bullroarers
speak. Their words are: "I swallo~z.,I
swallow, I swallow men, wonien, chil-
dren, I swallow all." They are evidence
of the appearance of death on Earth -
tliat of the fish, that of tlie Fox ~ v l i owas
ultimately condemned, and that of the
first man to die. After striking the ances-
tor, sooner or later death would inevita-
bly strike all lixring beings. The bullroarer
bears the same name as the Great Mask:
in effect, it too is a mask.
The bullroarer is the speecli, or what is
left of it, of a dead perscn. This explains
the emotiuii that grips the listeners ~ v h e n
it is sounded at midiiiglit, during the
funeral. All fires acconipaiiyiiig t h e
mourners are extinguished, everyone
disperses into the neighboring streets,
all the drums fall silent: tlien one hears
the repeated humniings, from low to
high and from high to low, of the bull-
roarer that accompanies the appearance
of the Great Mask. Held verticaIly on the
shoulder of a bearer, the Great Mask ar-
X in the p ~ ~ b l square;
~ I es ic i t circles tlic
'ii~arc o ~ i s t ~ c r a tto ~ dthe Noiiimo to ask
him tor the. soul tliat had been refused
because oi its impurity. I t obtains it and
returns to slio~z~ its thanks. Then i t goes
A member of the deceased's family at-
taches a 1ix.e chicken, representing the
soul that has finally been granted, to the
top of the Great Mask. It tlien returns to
the public square to thank its genitor. It is
his speech t h a t is translated by t h e
humming of the bullroarer, which con-
tinues to sound while the carrier places
the mask in the cave consecrated to it.
The Dogon are not satisfied merely
xvitli setting up their own categories, and
\i.itli establishing correspondences be-
tween them. Whether it concerns a cer-
eni(xiy o r a familial event, the anal!?sis of
a ritual test or a simple inquiry, everyone
cluestioned seemed to have a keel1 taste
fol. spec~ilations.As Griaule said regard-
ing information ahout certain roles attri-
b u t e d both to rock paintings a n d to
masks: "Rather than contradictions,
these should be seen as differences in in-
t e r p r e t a t i o n s , a s a r e f o u n d in a n y
dogma" (Griaule 1938:423, n . 1).Those
Dogon wlio have penetrated deeply into
tlieir traditions and their interpretations
become scliolars in their own fashion.
They learn to ~nanipulatean exegesis of
reflections that their own c~lstoms,be-
liefs, and arts ha\feinspired among their
people. This is tlieir work, and the rea-
son why, in view of their age, function in
hociet!; and competence, they are re-
spectfully listened to during meetings
and sought out \vlien a problem arises in
their community
Performances ofa mask and its actions
are al\vaps accompanied by various tests
- "speecli" -and it is clear what xralue
\2'est African societies accord tliis term.
Masks are witnesses of the dead that
"enchant" all of society by their lively
presence. As such, are they also, as a
competent informant suggested, the
"t\vinsr' of those \vho created and then
wore them in order to tell their story?
Just as one does not kill or eat one's to-
temic prohibition, one never makes or
Ivears a mask depicting it. 0 1 1 the other
hand. tliis articular mask can be made
and worn by someone with \whom one
has a "joking" relationship, w h o as-
sunies a cathartic role in regard to tlie
~ e r s o i whose
i proliibition it is. The jok-
ing re1atix.e can wear it with impunity, as
a sort of mockery.
If we look once again at Dogon cos-
mogony, we see that the Fox, who created
the mask, made it to represent his origi-
nal twin, to defy and combat him, but
also to recall his sacrifice and temporary
death. He was immediately countered
by this twin, who the next day made the
s a m e tree "dance," g r e e n a n d fully
leaved.
Nofcs, ;~ngc87
 i!l,.;ig~i ol' thc LL\:' ill, ::<I.,. i ~ i > l ~ > ! - , <*ctb~ : ' : ! , ~ - ' , - ,:', I ! v I , > , !N,MI!LL' t , , $ ) , s > \ T > ~ I , I > I , I ' . , > I ; ,)itt,,.,t. 'I,,..
,:,;: I>, l l l ~ < ~ l 1>1 ~7 l~ 1,,\ ,I,,,ci ,,!I<,:c lL,.,,,:<<!,,,<~~!,,<,,~l,~r.<>,,
i . i n t a1.1 J c t a i l i t h a t a r c i ; i . ~ u - x , Z in t l i c t e x t I ,?!!,. 1l>c,A,,~j<,':,, ">A,!. , < , , Y < , \ < ~ , lt t .l l lll>ril
~ 01, l-,,<.L,t < > ~ , r
and c a y t t o n s a r l s o h s r i ! r ~ , ~1>\ biniiins
i t:ic
-I, .:-..in^, I l l < , . \ I ! , ' \ l>, II ,I~Ll ~> ~- !+\ I~ .lI,,.I, ~V: : I !IL', 'I >
L,\'.,:L,, ,,I ,,,I,,
r c l \ c d I ~lhcr ILIPII-
i c . ~ . , 131 81). 5c1rne l i i z t ~ ~ r i c a~l I i i i t ~ g r a p l ~ sI,!\ ,,.a ",,,,.ll,>~ , J I > C L ~ < I>L,,'>L,.L'
IL>,'
I I C I ~ L .

tile l i t . 1 ~ L , I , L , ~ ' I ~ , , , , > , I 0

.,'I~III

nti facing pages hlccci i t i t < , onc a n ~ ) t l i e r ,t l i c : r >\:>3~ -llc l~~,It>>lfi%. \ V < h ,,,,\<.LI lWI~l5l l ~ l , . l ~ ~ r l ~ , , L<>l,l,><+.L~i

b u s y backgrounds merging into abstract IU?rl ,411 lhc,rl~rc)'asisit( rc,nl.r,nr.d (11, Ivm.~lcl\\,in o f thc Fox
l l i i iiqr Ilic. wni: q ~ ~ < > hi,!< t v d I, I c ~ l l u r ~ abv d .~nc,lhcrthat
clldos ~nI,,::n~ nl%,lllh,ltl i l > l c ~ ~ ) n<!l h ~ I-
~ i >\i,ltliIn ~ i t - li,~n+l.~tr,.
D e s p i t c t h r s c c o n c e r n h , F r o ~ r //it-
i Laird ! l i ! i i C 14111 :Ill,:. c r n r I l , l ~ ~ ~ t11~1l
c d i t i, I ~ I L I T ~ I I ~ bv
~ T CI ~, ~~ ~O L I ~ I I whc.n
L . ~ ~

IIIL,, t r > n . ~ ' c ~tllc ~ l IX?L~\ L > I ,7 ~ l r ~ c ~10 t il ~ c ~-cn~c'tcrv ,~ ~ ~ ~

Tht(~111l'rili~s makes a fine contribution a n d li,ls (GT,,!,,~,,lLi;s 5-4)
broad a p p e a l . The p h o t o g r a p h s are s p e c t a c u - S Till, ,,I trc,i, i \ tlic l.rirt!rvii o.rtli: \\hen r c r n ~ , \ . ~ dit,. hark 15
t l , ~ , L L I I , ~ , ,,I L?!,>,>L~
l a r , Equally i m p o r t a n t , J i ~ n a i t i sIias c o n f i r m e d
tft. r ~ > ~ ~t lt, t~',I,~ ~ c . I I ~ I I > ! ; 111~. I,.~th t ~ b v rtn~,v.hI l ~ a tr t ~ t ~ r
that i t is v a l u a b l e to examine the h i s t o r y oi a < , \ ~ m ~ t ~ >~,-~>lIl Iv~ I L .,IIILI ' I , t l ~ c~ ~ ~ ~ . . Y ~ L I vL t ~ his ~ I C.I<~IOIIS
V ~

c o l l e c t i o n of tribal a r t . It is encourasing to see cxcr tlrnc.~llI ~ c . ~ , u t \ ~ t ld, r c u y e < ~!I,>>

t .irl~rlc.' I h c ~ c , d , c , , -
l i > r ~.!rv , - r;pr,..~.i~lrJ h v ~lh~t.rl.i > r I I K Lp.llnlingi In \ . r l r ~ ~ ~ ~
t h e i m p o r t a t i t h o l d i n g s 01 t l t e A t i i e r i c a n h l a - c.i!c.- l lic Ic.,~ rn.ibk5 .i/'pr.~~ ~ ~ ~ i ~ / ~ c ~ ?I Ld> ~ I bt>k?,c
, ~ > t the li._
seutli of N a t u r a l Histor! r c c e i \ . i n g \\.ell- I'.11I11 \lidb<lll
Ill. T5c.e s c , ~ r , t ~ c ~ t ~~ cl~ tv> \~ ~ ~117~' c K~, , h~ ~ d ~ ~ ~t c ~t r 01>
r g~Ill?
~ n~ l ~
deserued a t t e n t i o n i n t h i s s t r i k i n g v o l u m e . S . I ~ , I IThv - hl.ilinkr. i r > n ~ n k.,nd ~ ~D i ) ~ < ,.nI ~ Cnot scarcficd
L 1 i ~ - k ~ r iKJ1ll?t:
a 11. \larcr,l Gr!rlult, ,ind I ivcrc :i~ng-timcstudents of hlc~u.r<.
and > \ ? , ~ t y ~ I hi, ~ ~ ~t i ci ci~ t I ? <o~) ~t li ~ cIIL-ILI(Fnr ~n?urc 13,s
U i i i i ~ e r s i t yof i Y n s / ~ i r i g t < ? iS[,iittlc
~,
work. \t.? h.l.lus~1YbS 1 O u r rcii~ltc:vrre iiuc to thc rcgol.lr
trcq~ir,ni! 01 ollr rrx~.irch rnlsalon5 amonl: the Dogon a n d
arncln; i ~ l l . r r ~ t l i ~S lTl cU L I~<'Ilonl ~ ~ \ \ I , Iclt 11 ~ n l p c r a t ~ v 100b-
c
notes s e n - o o t ~ ~ tlii,!kv<,,
S L > I > I ~ All
!~l~ l4'1mh~ir~i.
~ C <,I ll>v\cp ~ ~ p ~ ~ l h, ~~ \ tc ~~ o
h b l i ~ ~ i . ~htalinkc,
r ~n ~~Ihc,ir
~ ~ k s ~ ,, ~ n d
l v d ~ > L V "ar-I~

IIICTCRLCX: Tolc'i, Ir.-zr: lri,qc. 43 r h n r.." 01 \ \ i11chtill, Inrt,t~zhi,n171 m.l\h' 1s .l m,l)or clrrncnt
Tllis artjclc IS .In c\tenslon o i the, cprii.~ll i i w c ~ nDujiun art iDi*h.rlcn l'ii7; 1959 2.1) Otlr rc.sc.~rih Iias alsc~bcncfited
o r j i a n ~ ~ eb\d Katcb E1r.i tx,riirrii,iai ; , I - 1\,11I. ?I, n o 1, I'iS>l from :hr con'idcrablc cc,nlrlhutii>n , I ( rincma. I-or exdlnplc.
1 In t17e D<,prn Iangil.lcc, ~liarliiirnr.lni " p r u h ~ h ~ t l o n .l"h r I I ~ C111:11'. ? ) , ~ ~ i t .je.lnh ! 1l~)itch a m o n g lhv Vc~gonhave permjl-
ccrcmun\ known by. Iht. tialnc l ~ a .b w n called thc ''c.nd 0 1 tcii u. and o u r ~ n f ~ r r n l . l nItCiI viviv .~~rci It, rc-vicn thc ccrc,~

~ n u u r n l n g "b r i a u i r it marks the <,nd of ccrt.?in ~ p r o h i l > ~ t ~ u n \ rnontL5 a < c1!1~.n.l, nc,a.<'ir.lr\,18, clrdr,~I < >drlvc ~ i v r ~Irlto r , the
.,
r~.latcdlo pc.rsun's dec>lh that i u n r l r n not only clo\c3 -el., rnL'an8ng 01 hrmjir, yravcri, ~ n Idn v o c a t ~ ~ , ~ i , .
tivc.5 but the cnt~rc.c < > m n , u n ~(Griaulc t\ I03S 3-17 11) 17 Tl:11., ~ 1 1 t - ldc~.rtibi~li: <111 . I ~ I I I T~ I ~n I. ~
I $carved
k ior thr
2 . "l>ofio~rkix,n I d g r cdn bc d l \ ~ d < d~ n l u[cur \l.lgc.i aI>lcl? C I ~ ~ , , , , ;<>I A Iht!nlcr, I><- rccor<Is w 1721 lhc \,, tc~!ci." I t ,925 hoped ,,\
are, in ordcr 111 tncreaajnq ~mynitnncr:,yirr.;i, 'tr<,nt \ycvLh l h . ~ !a : Ilw \ ~ , c h t hl. li,rmt,r \ ~ c t ~ t(rc,}~rrsvntr~I n !L, thc
Ihr f i r 1 rl.rse ofhnwr li.it;cc<,n<t\lt!is<~I\ l l i l j ~ l ~ ~ \ ( l l d l l . l l l ~ l l l . m.l.hl, t l ~ c',oul ~ 7 thc 1 ill!nIr,r, $<Illill w.15 Ina 4tatcilf ~ntertor-
~n WI>ICII ,l~).tI?icp"simd~c-rarc 0ttc11 dibjiui~ed<I.. , 1~?,2,1,~.~,, ~ t yl w c a u ~ e11 bclclnged to thi, stcirid 01 thc dead, wotlld be
' q i i ~ >pprrh.
. In ~ v h ~ ct1,v h c \ p l ~ n r ! i ~ > tc>r n , i L . r ; . > i i ~ rllc? a n , I I I ~ ~ I I I I ( dI Il lCdL!(.lluI~l
I tlre ' 1 . ~!1 I l l i l l Gr~.lulc.. ~ ~ i < i r"The d:
gi\?n .and in n.li~clicclirrdln.~t~rlna,-iv.,r- ~1111\ \ t i l l ~ tC, .~I L ~ c\ylan.ll~on 11, Ihc la*t srnrrncc I, dclubtl\ll T l ~ cinformants
malor dirlsii,n, . . . l\~l,.r: 'hark i l ~ r c . i h ,i'\ . l ~ > ccrntplclzs h ti;,, \\.c.ni back o n Ihc#r w~lrcl. 1n,111vtinlrc" (lL13S77, 7 7 n . 1).

p r ~ . c < , d t nr~a t ~ g o r ?1.v p r u \ . t d ~ n ga!ntll~w,\ thc h r o , ~ d ~ , r 13 T h ~ , r c . i r ra l w r \ ~ m p l c . B.~ml~.lr,i5lorlr.s in rxl>tch ani-

~ ~ O L I P L L I ~.ii,lii>~,r
S, ' C / C , I ~ C ~ \~\ h~ l~i h~t ~< iCi >I nI .r < ' , r ~ ~~r dt \hr r n . > ltnter\cv~r>
~ In thc r n v t h < ~ l ~ or > s \' 1 i 5 t ~ l r y t l ~ cpeuplc o i
the I ' ~ I ( I Cof I . k n o \ ~ I ~ di nf i811 ~ :is s \ J l - o r d c r ~ dc i ~ r n l ~ l r \ t l \ t h ~ .Z ~ y r !r x n d . a n d drc rcyl-c~s~,nlc~irn.l\ks
(Gr~aulc.1Y52.27). Fur rncrrc ~ ~ ~ h l r m a l o~nc lthe, n ~ l , n r r , ? n!>ll. t 14 Ti?~.rrn<,trc,np r i ~ i o L ~ hi. , d thr ,1:;1>, 01 !hv r ~ ~ a b L!\.,!. \ rr-
vc.lr rcrc,rn<>nlc\that occur during-.r\zn n m \ c c u l < i c\ c a r . I: \~c.>Icd me 1 7 ~cli.in<c~E ~ ~ l c r o r<?c)'n i g ~ ~\\,I?L,L<~r11,15ksund<>r
d i ~ r r wDogon area< .I., i?~ctcrlr~n 1Ul: 1-11) \ t n d ~ i . t\ l . i r r ~ ~ l C . n a u l c ~ r ~ ' ~ \to-vd. ~ r c ~ I ~I ~tacrndouroidebt
~~nr:
3 E x c n 101~1n:s a r r \omvtimes p r e - r n l , i,,xrlL,d u n tllr.:: ~nlorn:.:nt. Aml.~bcR,lbadvt.. crt,urI>ln: In trunt ot thcrn, re-
gr,lndt,ltl~cr<'5hclulacri pc.,linq .<>Ill. I,: ,,Xr I.lnpcta~c"\1d1k, y t > ~ v ~ , r f pu tl 9. ~ v c r i u l .
-1. Thc s.lrnc 1s truc 1111 ~ ~ L I L > I I p c c r t u r n ~ ~ l n c dnlol7g
C~ tllc b u r n , n g . Lrurn~n$."t i c w.1~t l ~ i ~kranildting. c I<,rlh~mself,the
Bamana, 8070,a n d 50111!1-~, lVl7('rl1 1 l h l l \ ~ ,L . C . L . ~I I I L I ' ' p > i ~ . r - v x t ~ l t ~ t ~h oc nIL.II Iron) all that tliv n1.1.k~ rrprcscnted.
nor," "atrillanr." a n d "zi.l~~mnbrle" n ~ . ~ , k \:\ nr.l.h iallcd 15 .A !aim ~ b o l l lhl' l .llldl!411 5 1 1 D ~ g o l~il111111nin): \ h ,a\ n l l d r

"elc.ctrun~c rnachinc," \>a. pdrt ('1 tlic L ~ T O C C ~ \ I Cat I I ~A I C L . I ~ \ . ~ ! I N 1907 bi Gilbert R u ~ ~ ) :~r 1 t 1 dIr.,n R t > t ~ i l ~
In B~rn.lkoIn 15'62. lh \IL lh,~!v ~ ~ ~ t vni.ni! ~ ~ d c t ~l ? ~r~ ~l t ~ ~- , i lc)r
\ r,tudl g a n ~ ? s
7 Thi. ,ntc,ryrctnttun u: filc t u n d ~ n ~ c n t-avl t l ~ l i ~ l\t iA I L W -- ,I! r.lc Ll~rgonc o ~ t h c i d .In Il>c ! % , p c > n<)iS.,ng.,, at \Jrlc,us
color5 2.. ~ v l l n c ~ s i.1 r \ t i , r , ' ' c l c ~ n ~ c n ! e\l,l.?ln.
~'' !hr ~ l l t l t i l ~ i ~ 11ntc5i , \ ~:Ilc , ~ \ ~ , I~ hcse i rrcler
. LLI ~ n ~ p o r t i l ~ n tp ~ \ o d r <the i~,
t~hcn!,,, t l ~ v I l ~ > g\ o~r l > ~ ~ rR ~o ol c~i ~v\> , nl>c,l,,~dt l > ~ IILYIV!<- ,~r r<,.rn~,;on! T t r e c h ~ l ~ i r,iI>\.,>\.h c ~ ~ i .let ahmr, n o acinlt rs admit-
sion t<>f ~ l r n ~ i l ~ ~t\rntt.t
,xil. ltlm thrilvcin):c,tthr t ~ h e r i . l l ~ ~ i f t . ~ i , n.,' r \ t n !IT<,.<, wh<rfi,>vc1he1iillhc ~ r ~ , ~ t ~ r ncccic~d ~,~l~th
the, \ \ u u d mash\. Thcr.lcicr~rctuwli rr.icr.l~~ll\., i n \ o h ~ n glhc~ fur thr c w i u h u n n i tlic r~lc,* TI7t.w .Irtl\ ~ t l c slha\.c nntorlu-
~mport,>nct~ ot 1111s ntual. ~ r h i c halwa!\ takes placv at a dl,- natrl\ br.c,n .lhan3c,ned f o r Ihc pa51 2-3 r.v.~t>, clue, perh'lps lo
I.lncr, out of thes!ghtot t h a w ~ c h < ~not d vbe!<ln): t,l t!~em.?.h i<lu)ol, tlw l0c.71 t.conim~\.,c<.>ivt.rawns . ~ n dl,olillis.
sr)c>ety 17. Each o f the t!lrce bullri,ar<,r\ I S dlstin~ucshedby certain
.,
h 1 h r h n i r i i ~ nalso t c f r ~ , % e n t i \taler inwcl th.it. In order to dctn~lsul torm and a cornpletrly d ~ f f e r e nIhumrn~ng t sound.