Coming forth of the masks and puppets in Markala

Overview

The coming forth of the masks and puppets is a ritual festivity practised among the Bambara, Bozo, Marka and Somono communities in Markala, and is characterized by masked dances, drums and songs featuring dancers and puppeteers. Each mask and puppet symbolizes the sacred link between man and nature, with particular animals incarnating specific virtues of society. During the dry season, young neophytes receive knowledge and instruction to ready them for the transition to adulthood. The initiation takes place in a sacred wood next to the Niger River, where the knowledge and skills associated with these ritual practices are transmitted to young boys by their elders. The initiation closes with libations and offerings to protective spirits and occult forces to obtain permission to become trained men, ready to wear the mask and to dance. After the rites, post-harvest celebrations provide a...

This record is imported from the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage public dataset as discovery metadata. ARED has not independently verified community authority, access protocols or local naming beyond the source record.

Community and Authority

Communities: Mali
Languages: Not specified in UNESCO dataset
Cultural territories: Mali
Countries: Mali

How the System Works

Music, Performance and Oral Literature Language, Story and Memory Material Culture, Design and Technology Ceremony, Spirituality and Cosmology Ways of Knowing and Knowledge Transmission

Sources and Evidence

Imported from UNESCO DataHub dataset ich001. Field-level provenance is retained in the record metadata.

UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage ListsDataset

Open original source record

Field-Level Provenance

title: UNESCO DataHub field title_en
preferredTitle: UNESCO DataHub field title_fr
summary: UNESCO DataHub field description_en
type: UNESCO DataHub fields type_of_element_en and type_acronym
countries: UNESCO DataHub field countries, ISO codes resolved with ISO-3166 regional metadata
categories: ARED category inference from UNESCO concepts_primary_names, concepts_secondary_names and title
relationships: UNESCO concepts_primary_names, concepts_secondary_names, type fields and World Heritage links
sourceUrl: UNESCO DataHub field http_url_en
rights: UNESCO DataHub dataset metadata license and license_url

Original Source Metadata

uuid771e9018-9dd2-445d-9b42-10b34c07f96f

ich_public_ref1004

inscription_year2014

title_enComing forth of the masks and puppets in Markala

title_frLa sortie des masques et marionnettes de Markala

type_of_element_enRepresentative List

type_acronymRL

countriesML

http_url_enhttps://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/01004

concepts_primary_namesInitiation rites, Masks, Puppets

concepts_secondary_namesConflict resolution, Costumes, Moral values, Multiethnic societies, Offering, Percussion instruments, Ritual dance, Sacred sites, Vocal music, Woodworking

main_image_urlhttps://ich.unesco.org/img/photo/thumb/08830-LRG.jpg

main_image_caption_enNot supplied

main_image_copyrightDNPC, 2008

main_image_authorMission de recherche et de documentation de la DNPC (Equipe DNPC de couverture de l'édition 2008)

videoshttps://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/-q6zVhQOB7U, https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/6TqOsnchuSE

images[object Object], [object Object], [object Object]

Why This Record Is Credible

This public record is connected to 1 source and has been labelled Source Supported. ARED separates evidence sources from cultural authority so users can see both provenance and review limits.

Cultural Access

Use this as public discovery metadata only. It does not replace community authority or local access protocols.

Relationships

Initiation rites Masks Puppets Conflict resolution Costumes Moral values Multiethnic societies Offering Percussion instruments Ritual dance Sacred sites UNESCO representative list

Review and Corrections

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