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Dama at Kamba, May 2013 :
Masked dance performances are held on the occasion of funerary rites.
These rites take place in three phases : the burial, the funeral and
the Dama. The Dama marks the end of mourning and the passage of the
soul of the deceased to the land of the ancestors (prior to the Dama
the souls of the recently dead roam about the bush). The masks will
help the dead find their way to the hereafter. The Dama takes place
around June and concerns all the men who have passed away since the
previous Dama. Some ten years (if not more) may elapse between two
Dama. On the occasion of this year's Dama at Kamba, masked participants
came from a number of neighbouring villages (Pelou, Mendeli) and
competition among dancers was fierce. Masks are « things from the bush
». They are not all equal in importance. Among mask types that
personify animals or humans, many interact with the public and their
dances have an entertaining quality to them. But the Kanaga and the
Sirige are surrounded by an aura of mystery. They do not speak but emit
noises. In this video, also watch the ankle length red brownish fibre
masks. These masks are the regional variant of the Sa Ku/Adagay mask.
It is said to be the oldest among all masks. There was a time when
these masks exerted a force in society as executioners and would carry
out the death sentence. Its fibres are made of the bark of Sa (lannea
microcarpa). The plant's medicinal and protective virtues are highly
esteemed. Garments worn by traditional hunters are often impregnated
with its red brownish dye. In this way they are protected against the
dangers that threaten their lives. |