Dogon country : Dama at Kamba (plateau) May 2013

film maker Serou Dolo Masked dance performances are held on the occasion of funerary rites. These rites take place in three phases : the burial, the funeral and the Dama. The Dama marks the end of mourning and the passage of the soul of the deceased to the land of the ancestors (prior to the Dama the souls of the recently dead roam about the bush). The masks will help the dead find their way to the hereafter. The Dama takes place around June and concerns all the men who have passed away since the previous Dama. Some ten years (if not more) may elapse between two Dama. On the occasion of this year's Dama at Kamba, masked participants came from a number of neighbouring villages (Pelou, Mendeli) and competition among dancers was fierce. Masks are « things from the bush ». They are not all equal in importance. Among mask types that personify animals or humans, many interact with the public and their dances have an entertaining quality to them. But the Kanaga and the Sirige are surrounded by an aura of mystery. They do not speak but emit noises. In this video, also watch the ankle length red brownish fibre masks. These masks are the regional variant of the Sa Ku/Adagay mask. It is said to be the oldest among all masks. There was a time when these masks exerted a force in society as executioners and would carry out the death sentence. Its fibres are made of the bark of Sa (lannea microcarpa). The plant's medicinal and protective virtues are highly esteemed. Garments worn by traditional hunters are often impregnated with its red brownish dye. In this way they are protected against the dangers that threaten their lives.