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At nightfall, they put down in the center of the square a torch, a pike, a powder-horn, and a gun belonging to the dead man. Everyone squats in front of them. Three men advance on their knees, mimicking the gaits of an animal and two dogs. A man carrying the torch and pike pretends to kill the animal. The chief then dances with the same accessories, which are next given to another man. This one circles the “stage”, touching the ground twice with these objects at each of the four alley outlets; he then begins to dance facing south. Another does the same thing in the opposite direction and dances facing north. A third circles around the square in the same direction as the first and touches the ground with the flat side of the objects. One of the animals brought by those present is put on the ground, a hunter crawls ahead and fires; all do the same in turn. Positioned near the dummã, all the hunters fire successively above the dead man’s objects near which is placed the cotton given by all those present in the course of the day.

• Source: Griaule, Marcel. Dogon masks. Paris: Institut d’Ethnologie, 1938.
• Culture: Dogon
• Location: Africa