Sirige plank mask, made of a terracotta coloured clay-type substance and wood, consisting of a rectangular head section with eye-holes, a figure to each side, and an upper section with four holes to attach the projecting plank (2000.106.2). The mask has painted decoration, mainly in red and black, with some white and blue. There is a rope netting at the back of the head section. Some pieces have crumbled off at the bottom right.
Sirige masks are easily recognised by their extreme lengths (such as this one, which measures 384cm) carved from a single tree. They can reach up to six metres. Similar masks are also found among the neighbouring Mossi and Bobo. It is used in masquerades such as the Dama (Dama funeral rites, which assure the passing of life from one universe to another, and the good relations between the universe of the living and that of the dead). When performed, the highly skilled dancer ‘swings’ the mask so that the tip touches the ground in a rotational movement. The mask itself is said to represent a multi-storey house. Its length also represents the connection between the world of the ancestors (heaven) and the living on earth. It is also referred to as the ‘multistory’ mask in French: le masque à étage.
