Leopard Dancer

This painting is depicting a Dassenech Tribe man performing the Dimi ceremony. This is a dance that celebrates a firstborn daughter’s readiness for marriage and elevates her father to a respected elder status. Their outfit is full of symbology that we should take a look at; The men, referred to as Buls when participating in the Dimi ceremony get dressed in leopard skins that symbolize bravery, and the strength of a warrior. The ostrich feather hats represent wisdom and authority. The yellow body paint represents renewal and vitality. The men march from hut to hut (the Dassenech currently have their distinctive metal sheet huts because they had to move due to floods, so the government provided them metal sheets to build new homes) in a procession while singing ancestral chants, joined in by the women as well. It was an incredible sight to behold that morning.