Hornbill mask

Dogon artist

early 20th century

Wood

Minneapolis Institute of Art

A carved wooden mask depicts a female figure with prominent breasts, balancing an object on her head. The mask is mounted on a stand. Very long ago, according to Dogon mythology, a woman stumbled across a group of masked supernatural beings. Startled, they fled and left behind their masks and costumes, which the woman brought to her village. The men grew jealous, stole the masks from her, and made masking an exclusively male prerogative. The woman, called Yasigine (“sister of the masks”), is remembered by this type of mask—that’s her on top—representing the hornbill, whose picking of grains and stirring of dust is mimicked by the dancer during his performance. Gallery G254 The Putnam Dana McMillan Fund