Mask (Omono or Tana Wurum Bogoro)
Unknown Artist
early 1900s
Medium
Wood and paint
Dimensions
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Classification
Mask
Department
African Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Gift of Katherine C. White
Accession Number
1975.151
About this artwork
Dogon masks can be interpreted on two fundamentally different levels: “front speech” (giri so) reflects an early stage of knowledge and consists of a tale that is intended to arouse curiosity; and “speech of the world” (aduno so) refers to Dogon cosmogony, reserved for highly instructed men and women. Masked dances have recently been organized in Dogon regions for tourists and dignitaries. The character of omono is a rare one among the 80 or so that appear in Dogon masquerades.