African Carving: A Dogon Kanaga Mask

African Carving: A Dogon Kanaga Mask offers insight into the ceremonial production and use of masks by the Dogon people of Mali.

The act of carving Kanaga masks holds as much spiritual significance as the rituals in which the masks are worn. Directed by Thomas Blakely and Eliot Elisofon, African Carving: A Dogon Kanaga Mask offers a rare look at the Dogon’s highly secretive methods of mask making. Although these ceremonies are now frequently performed for the public, the sacred meaning of the Kanaga is retained by the Dogon villagers who fear, respect, and depend on the power of the mask.

Includes a post-program discussion moderated by Enid Schildkrout

About the Speaker

Enid Schildkrout has served as Chief Curator and Director of Exhibitions and Publications at the Museum for African Art in New York (2005-2011) and Curator at the American Museum of Natural History (1973-2005) where she also was Chair of the Division of Anthropology. She received her Ph.D. in Social Anthropology from Cambridge University and has conducted extensive field research in West Africa. Her many traveling exhibitions include “African Reflections: Art from Northeastern Zaire” and “Body Art: Marks of Identity” at the American Museum of Natural History, and “Dynasty and Divinity: Ife Art from Ancient Nigeria” and “Grass Routes: African Origins of an American Art” organized for the Museum for African Art. She has published widely on the cultures and arts of Africa, and has produced a number of films associated with exhibitions, including two films on the Dogon people of Mali.