Satimbe Mask (“Sister of the Masks”)

Origin: Dogon Tribe, Mali
Composition: wood, animal hide (the bands adjoining the elbows)

This outstanding Dogon tribe mask represents the ancient ancestress named Yasigi. According to Dogon belief system, she cultivated the red hibiscus plant and used its fibers to make the first fiber skirts worn by Dogon masked dancers. Yasigi is known as the "sister" of the masks, and her mask is always present when other masks perform. The mask's name is Satimbe, which means "superimposed sister," and refers to Yasigi's position on top of the mask. She brandishes a beer ladle in her left hand in her role as beer maker for the first Sigi ceremony, a ritual held every sixty years to commemorate the making of the Great Mask of the dead. She (often) holds a fly wisk in her right hand to show her status as the first dignitary of the Sigi.

Dogon masks are box-shaped, and most represent wild animals of the bush. The masks appear at funerals to usher the spirits of the dead from the village to the bush where they belong, thus restoring the order of the world. According to the Dogon philosopher, Ogotemmeli, "The masked dancers are the world; and when they dance in a public place, they are dancing the process of the world and the world order" (Ref: University of Virginia, “African Mask Images”).

This piece, bought by SUJARO in Bongo, Dogon country, Mali during an August, 2005 buying trip, is a fine collector’s piece and an excellent illustration of high quality Dogon art. The neutral color of the wood and the elaborately carved Yasigi figure add a modernist feel to the piece; the face-mask or lower component of the piece is in the category of Dogon art which has heavily influenced the stylistic work of contemporary artists throughout the Western art world. The custom-made base is included with the purchase.