Object Details
- Local Numbers
- EENG-IV-24, 2A.
- General
- Title source: Index card based on photographer's notes.
- Local Note
- Typed index card reads, "H 1 Dgn. Dogon. Mali, Ogol du Haut. In a cave outside the village, Dolo, a blacksmith/carver, uses a traditional adze to make a Kanaga mask. 6/1970. EE. neg.no. IV-24, 2A." The card was written in 1977-79 by Archives staff using source provided by photographer.
- Photographer
- Elisofon, Eliot
- Collection Photographer
- Elisofon, Eliot
- Place
- Africa
- Mali
- Occupation
- Artists
- Topic
- Wood-carving
- Tools
- Photographer
- Elisofon, Eliot
- Culture
- Dogon (African people)
- See more items in
- Eliot Elisofon Field collection
- Eliot Elisofon Field collection / Mali
- Extent
- 1 Negatives (photographic) (b&w, 35mm.)
- Date
- 1970
- Archival Repository
- Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art
- Identifier
- EEPA.1973-001, Item EEPA EENG 02852
- Type
- Archival materials
- Negatives (photographic)
- Black-and-white negatives
- Negatives
- Collection Citation
- Eliot Elisofon Field Collection, EEPA 1973-001, Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution
- Collection Rights
- Permission to reproduce images from the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives must be obtained in advance. The collection is subject to all copyright laws.
- Genre/Form
- Black-and-white negatives
- Negatives
- Scope and Contents
- The photograph depicts Dolo, the blacksmith and wood carver of Ogol du Haut village, using a traditional adze to make a Kanaga mask. "Dogon masks are carved from the wood of male trees, a practice consistent with the association of the Awa society, masks, and Dama performances, with men. Wood from the togolo tree (Bumbax buonopozente) is most often used for the masks, and it is characterized by a red sap that oozes from its cut surfaces. When the carving is complete, the masks are prevented from drying by applications of sesame oil, and are painted with pigments from natural sources." [Harris M., 1989: Visual tropes: The Kanaga Mask of the Dogon people of West Africa, Yale University]. During his trip to Mali, Elisofon visited the Dogon people in the Sanga region. This photograph was taken when Eliot Elisofon traveled to Africa from March 17, 1970 to July 17, 1970.
- Collection Restrictions
- Use of original records requires an appointment. Contact Archives staff for more details.
- Record ID
- ebl-1536870822481-1536871015018-4
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