Mask of monkey ko

The mask of the vervet monkey ko is worn on the face. On the finial is an image of a monkey eating millet cob. Like other Dogon masks, it is danced during the Dama funeral festivities ending the long period of mourning for the deceased. Dama is supposed to contain the dangerous spiritual forces unleashed by the first death that occurred in mythical times. These forces are activated every time a Dogon dies, including in modern times.Among the Dogon masks there are several representations of monkeys, which are briefly referred to as white, red and black monkeys, and are images of different species. A dancer wearing a ko monkey mask enters the square leaning on a pole, then sits down in a melancholic pose. He is encouraged to dance with the words Monkey, climb the big tree, it's full of fruit! Everyone is looking at you. The drum is playing for you. Shake your head, shake your legs. Everyone is looking at you.The mask of the monkey on the first level of initiation is interpreted as a thief and destroyer of crops, but on a higher level it becomes a symbol of the alliance and bond existing between the Dogon living in the Sangha and Bamba regions. This alliance is based on mutual help and kindness, but in everyday life it manifests itself in the exchange of mockery and insulting epithets. The most common of these is the term old monkey. It is a phenomenon referred to as related jokes. The mutual ritualised hurling of insults at each other is never offensive, but only when it takes place between specific groups of people.

Ewa Prądzyńska