Do mask

Ligbi artist

second quarter of 20th century

Wood, metal

Minneapolis Institute of Art

A dark brown wooden mask with carved facial features and decorative elements is presented against a black background. African masks sometimes feature an animal or person on top; in this case, there’s a rectangular panel with a knob. It represents a Qur’anic board, a kind of plank used throughout Africa as an aid in learning to read and write Arabic for religious purposes. Among the small subgroup of African masks used in Muslim communities during Islamic festivals, this one would have been used by the Do association of the West African Ligbi people and their neighbors during masked dances marking the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting. Gallery G242 The Mary Ruth Weisel Endowment for Africa, Oceania, and the Americas