Awa Society
Awa (in Dogon), also known as the Awa Society, the Society of Masks, is an African mask and initiatory society of the Dogon people of Mali which is made up of circumcised men, and whose role is both ritual and political within Dogon society. The Awa Society takes an important role in Dogon religious affairs, and regularly preside over funereally rites and the "dama" ceremony—a ritual ceremony that marks the end of bereavement in Dogon country ( fr ). This Society is one of the important aspect of Dogon religious life—which is primarily based on the worship of the single omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent Creator God Amma and the veneration of the ancestors. Although it is only one aspect of Dogon's religious sects, it is perhaps more well known than the others partly due to Dogon mask–dance culture which attracts huge tourism, and their masks highly sought after, and in fact, one of the first to be sought after by art collectors in the west.
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Dogon
Concept
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Africa
LOC
None
mask
UNK
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initiatory
Concept
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Dogon people
Concept
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Mali
LOC
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circumcised
Concept
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Dogon religious
Concept
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bereavement
Concept
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Dogon country
LOC
fr
UNK
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omnipotent
Concept
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omniscient
Concept
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omnipresent
Concept
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Creator
Concept
None
Amma
UNK
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veneration of the ancestors
Concept
None
Dogon mask–dance
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art collectors
Concept
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Awa Society
UNK
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Awa Society
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country
country
language used
continent