Inside the Dogon Masks: The Selection of Woods for Ritual Objects

At the foot of the Bandiagara cliffs in Mali lives one of the most studied and yet most mysterious ethnic groups of West Africa, the Dogon. According to their religion, masks have a key role in traditional rites, since they are the link between the earthly and the divine. The production and maintenance of such important tools have precise rules handed down by the Dogon secret society called Awa. Fifteen traditional Dogon masks were studied to ascertain the wood species selected to carve them. The analysis shows the occasional use of marula (Sclerocarya birrea, 3 masks) and African grape (Lannea spec., 2 masks) and a preference for ceiba (Ceiba pentandra, 10 masks), a tree revered as sacred by the Dogon. The results suggest potential implications concerning the use of trees and woods in Dogon tradition.