# Face Mask with Female Figure (satimbe)

- Date: early to mid-1900s
- Medium: Wood and organic materials
- Classification: Mask
- Dimensions: Overall: 111.1 cm (43 3/4 in.)
- Culture: Africa, West Africa, Mali, Dogon-style blacksmith-carver
- Credit line: James Albert and Mary Gardiner Ford Memorial Fund
- Museum: [Cleveland Museum of Art](https://clevelandart.org/art/1960.169)
- Rights: [Public domain (CC0)](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)
- Picture: https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1960.169/1960.169_web.jpg
- Who can see it: Tweens profiles and older (museums give no ratings; placed by Invisible Network from the museum's own words)

Dogon masks are worn at the end-of-mourning ceremonies called dama. The masks incarnate ancestors, which can be human, animal, or vegetal. The female figure with raised arms topping this example represents the mythical character Yasigine, who played a key role in the very first sigi celebration. Held every 60 years, the sigi ceremony commemorates the arrival of death.