Dogon Waka Kakada or Crocodile Mask, Based

A crocodile in white paint and blue dots, its long jaw dropped.

This Waka Kakada or crocodile mask is Dogon, from Sanga in Mali. It is carved and painted wood. Dogon masquerades feature a large cast of animals and people, and are best known from the dama rites that mark the end of mourning. A domed head narrows into a long flat snout over a dropped jaw in faded red. A saw-edged crest rises from the brow, cut with rows of slots. White paint covers the upper surfaces, flecked with lines of blue dots, and a round eye stares from the side. On its slender rod and dark base it stands 34.5 inches high.

The dots look gentle. The angle of that jaw does not.