African Art: Dan Mask. Ivory Coast - Liberia - Guinea

The Dan people, also known as the Yacuba, live in the western part of the Ivory Coast and Liberia, where the land is wooded to the south and bordered by savannah to the north. The 350,000 Dan live on the cultivation of cocoa, rice and cassava. Before the establishment of the unifying secret societies at the turn of the century, each Dan village was an autonomous socio-political unit governed by a leader elected on the basis of his wealth and social standing. Today, the Leopard Society acts as a major regulator of Dan's life and initiates young men during their three to four months of seclusion in the forest. The Dan have gained notoriety in the region for their entertainment festivals which were historically village ceremonies, but which are now largely organized for tourists. During these holidays, masked performers dance on stilts. Dan masks feature a concave face, pointed chin, protruding mouth, upturned nose and domed forehead.
This mask worn to entertain spectators during the ceremony.