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Mask (Omono or Tana Wurum Bogoro)
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
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.
Cleveland Museum of Art’s own descriptionCredit lineMask (Omono or Tana Wurum Bogoro), early 1900s. Africa, West Africa, Mali, Dogon-style blacksmith-carver. Wood and paint; overall: 91.5 cm (36 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Katherine C. White, 1975.151
