Exhibit:

Introduction | Ancient sky-watchers | Celestial deities in the time of the pharaohs | Cosmic connectors | The sun at which one cannot stare | Without the moon, there would be no life | Lunar enlightenment | Cosmic models | Celestial guidance | A universe of possibilities |

In the origin myths of many African societies, the first beings descended from the sky, a world with powerful spirits and a creator god. Believed to have special abilities, these first ancestors founded communities and served as connectors between the realms of earth and sky.

Tall plank masks, such as those made by the Dogon peoples of Mali and the Bwa of Burkina Faso, seemingly reach to the heavens as a way to bridge earth and sky.

Look closely at the masks, stools, and figure carvings to identify how their forms reflect their functions as "cosmic connectors."

Dogon sirige masks in performance
Mali, 2001
Photograph by Anne Rogers

Stool
Dogon peoples, Mali
Late 19th to early 20th century
Wood, pigment
National Museum of African Art, gift of Walt Disney World Co., a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, 2005-6-40

Cosmic models. Dogon traditions describe the cosmos as two disks forming the sky and earth connected by a tree. The supporting figures represent the founding ancestors in their descent from sky to earth. The zigzag patterns suggest the path of their descent and flowing water and refer to the symbol of Lébé, the first human and priest who was transformed into a serpent after his death. The disk on top serves as an altar surface for libations.

Female figure
Dogon peoples, Mali
19th to early 20th century
Wood, encrustation
National Museum of African Art, gift of Walt Disney World Co., a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, 2005-6-41

Supporting the cosmos. In this masterful sculpture, the Dogon cosmos rests assuredly upon the supporting female figure, whose head is rendered as the dual disks of sacred sky and secular earth connected by 11 nommo primordial beings. Her projecting lip labret, well-balanced proportions, and prominent breasts and abdomen convey Dogon ideas about of the feminine ideal and emphasize the powerful life-giving and nurturing capacities of women.

Female figure
Dogon peoples, Mali
Late 19th to early 20th century
Wood
National Museum of African Art, gift of Merton Simpson and museum purchase with funds provided by Joyce Marie Sims, and by the Delta Memorial Endowment Fund, Inc., of the Milwaukee Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., 97-6-2

Ancestral pathways from sky to earth. The upper portion of Dogon stools suggests the sky and the powerful domain from which the founding ancestors descended. Close inspection of this female figure reveals she does not actually sit upon the stool below her, reflecting the belief that caryatid stools represent the sky and, thus, cannot seat anyone.

Exhibit:

Introduction | Ancient sky-watchers | Celestial deities in the time of the pharaohs | Cosmic connectors | The sun at which one cannot stare | Without the moon, there would be no life | Lunar enlightenment | Cosmic models | Celestial guidance | A universe of possibilities |