Wood carved. 35 inches. The mask represents the ancient ancestress, Yasigi, the cultivator of the hibiscus plant whose fibers are used in the creation of the skirts worn by the Dogon masked dancers. Yasigi is the "sister" of masks, and always present during ceremony. The mask name is Satimbe, which means "superimposed sister" and refers to Yasigi's position on top. She holds a beer ladle in her left hand, signifying her role as beer maker for the the first Sigi ceremony and a fly wisk in her right, representing her status as the first dignitary of the Sigi. Most Dogon masks represent wild animals of the bush and are a mainstay at funerals to usher the spirits of the dead away from the village.