Friday, September 2, 2011

Arts of Africa 1

     Coming into this class I didn't know much about Africa at all, and here we are at the end of the second week of school and I already know ten times more than I did before. One group of peoples that we talked about was the Dogons. The Dogons make many masks, most of the masks have a funerary function. One of these masks is called the Great Mask or the "Mother of all Masks". This mask dose not get put on and danced around, but rather is more of an alter mask that is used to empower all Dogon masquerading. When a man dies this mask is brought out of it's cave and leaned against the ginna where the body is laid. A live chicken is then attached to the top and the death is proclaimed to the mask as if it were a living breathing being. After sacrifices are made some men dance with the mask and then return it to it's cave.




     Another mask is called the Sirige. It's also called, "Ladder", "Tree", and "Big House". This mask is similar to the Great Mask, but smaller. The Sirige is painted with many triangular motifs that alternate with open rectangular shapes and repeated all the way up the long plank. the rectangles are interpreted as the many generations of a great family.




     We also talked about family shrines. These shrines were buildings constructed with adobe in a rectangular shape, with many rectangular holes. The shape and symmetric structure of the building conveys order. When a member of the family died they would put something that was important to or valuable to that person in one of the rectangular holes to honor and celebrate that persons life.


     I have learned so much already in these first two weeks of college and I'm looking forward to learning more.


                           
                                                      Bethany <><
     
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3 comments:

  1. ElizabethSeptember 3, 2011 at 7:04 AM

    You focused on summarizing Dogon (no 's') objects. I'd like to see more development, analysis, and connections made to readings, your life, and taking on of other viewpoints.

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  2. AnonymousSeptember 5, 2011 at 12:51 PM

    I also found the Dogon to be very intriguing. I enjoyed learning about their culture and the different types of masks. It is interesting that 'a mask is a mask', but they all have their own individual features and have different meanings. An example of this, like you said, is the Great Mask. It has a different function than other masks since it is not used for the traditional mask dances. Instead it is an alter mask and only used every 60 years. I like how you included the 'nicknames' for the masks such as the Sirgie is also called, "ladder", "tree", and "Big House". I did not realize how many names each mask has before I read your post.

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  3. Stephanie WhartonSeptember 6, 2011 at 8:19 AM

    I found the mask to be very interesting too. I loved learning about them and what their functions were. I think it is cool that the use two different types of mask when dancing. Since they use some masks for the tourist and other masks for their own private dancing that isn't seen by the tourist. But I would like to know what you found interesting about each of the masks you talked about? What made you want to write about masks for your first blog?

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