Honor Ancestors
The Kananga masks are supposed to represent the first human beings, the earliest ancestors. They are danced in order to connect the benevolent spirit of the ancestors into themselves, and it is though that when they dance this ceremony, which is danced every five years, that the maskers are processed by the ancestors. They believe that wearing these masks and doing these dances builds a sort of “bridge” into the spirit realm. Without this dance they do not think that the dead can cross over in peace. The masks are typically decorated with strong angular form painted in black and white (to represent wisdom). They dance up on stilts in order to imitate long legged water fowl, and balance as they dance quite skillfully. It is best to see these masks in action, or as Chukwuma Azuonye explains “Dogon art is found in museums throughout the world. In museums, objects such as brightly colored masks…are stripped of their fibers. Museums cannot capture the dramatic effect of a mask, which greatly depends on the costume and dancer’s movements.”[i]
[i] Azuonye, Chukwuma. Dogon, 7.