Black Monkey Mask (Dege)
"This mask expresses the essence of mystery," a museum member once remarked. Indeed, it is a face with strong character, but without a clear identity. When this mask was worn for a Dogon ceremony called Dama, it conveyed the persona of a black monkey who often sits on the sidelines and pouts, makes lewd gestures, or steals millet that others have harvested-his exaggerated laziness and greed reminding everyone to renounce such rude behavior.
Wood and natural deposits
17 x 8 x 7 in. (43.2 x 20.3 x 17.8 cm)
Gift of Mark Groudine and Cynthia Putnam
99.70
