- Ritual
- Coming forth of the masks and puppets in Markala
- Region and community
- マリ・マルカラ／複数共同体
- Age at the cultural rite
- Variable or not confirmed in the source
- Transition conditions
- Community initiation / Trial or training
- Legal age of majority
- Mali18 yearsMali · Calendar unspecified · Law and supporting sources
About the rite
During the dry season, boys enter a sacred grove beside the Niger River, where elders teach the knowledge and skills connected with masks and puppets. Libations and offerings close the initiation and authorize them to emerge as trained men ready to wear and dance the masks.
The initiation prepares boys for adult roles. UNESCO added the Markala masks and puppets tradition to its intangible cultural heritage list in 2014.
Related rites
