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Collection of the Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami
Face Mask (Kanaga)
Collection of the Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami
© Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami. All rights reserved.

Face Mask (Kanaga)

Artist/Maker (Mali)
Date20th century
Mediumwood, pigment, plant fiber and copper alloy
DimensionsOverall: 39 x 19 3/4 x 6 1/2 in. (99.1 x 50.2 x 16.5 cm)
ClassificationsCostumes and Accessories
Credit LineMuseum purchase
Terms
    Object number92.0026
    DescriptionThis kanaga (woman of the spirits) mask is one of a group of nearly identical masks worn by members of the men's Awa society in the performance of the dama, a second burial rite that ends a two- to three-year period of mourning. The dama turns the deceased into a living ancestor and insures safe passage to the ancestral world. For the surviving kin and community, the dama reestablishes the family and social harmony disrupted by death. The performance lasts six days. Kanaga masks are worn in the first, or separation, phase of the performance and in the final, or reintegration, phase when the group of masqueraders ushers the soul of the dead from the village in a dramatically choreographed dance. The form of the mask consists of a boxlike face with a high forehead. Surmounting this is a superstructure of small planks laced together to form a four-part, outward pointing "diagram" that suggests the radial motion of the spiritual universe. Simultaneously, the form also suggests a bird, which bridges worldly and spiritual dimensions. The appearance of kanaga masks in groups is equated with the order and flocking of birds and is a suitable metaphor for the harmony and balance that the mask symbolizes.
    On View
    Not on view
    Collections
    Collection of the Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami
    Ejagham people
    20th century
    Collection of the Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami
    Eket people
    ca. 1960
    Collection of the Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami
    Artist Unknown
    3rd to 2nd century BCE
    Collection of the Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami
    Olmec
    ca. 1500-400 BCE
    Collection of the Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami
    Jukun people
    not dated
    Collection of the Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami
    Ibibio people
    not dated
    Collection of the Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami
    Ogoni people
    not dated
    Collection of the Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami
    Bamana people
    not dated
    Collection of the Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami
    Ibibio people
    not dated
    Collection of the Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami
    Lega people
    not dated
    Collection of the Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami
    Ibibio people
    not dated
    Collection of the Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami
    Ibibio people
    not dated