Dan Guerre Guere Wood Mask

Overall Condition: Good. Most of our pieces have spent decades on at least two continents, and have been treasured by several owners.

Damage/Repair: Surface wear, scratches and dirt. Crack on chin.

Representing a Ge, who is a spirit, this mask would serve as a visible symbol manifesting power, and principles, and as a "spirit of the bush" to maintain social order, initiate the young, and punish wrongdoers. They are used by the men's secret society called Poro-the enforcing arm of local authority.

If truly Dan and with open round eyes and teeth in the mouth, this mask would be identified as a Zakpai ge' mask, an active and aggressive mask serving several functions. Its primary role is that of a ‘fire watch' mask that insures proper use of cooking fires by women. Accompanied by drums it confronts a woman who has been using fire carelessly or a fire much too large for its purpose. It appears in a very aggressive dance and will throw sticks and things about, knock over the cooking pot with their meals into the fire and may even beat the women who set the fire to cook. Not a friendly mask at all. It also in some areas serves as a war mask. The mask had a cloth wrap around the outer edge covering the dancer when wearing the mask. The few holes around the edge of the mask were used to hold a woven netting to keep the mask close to the face during the vigorous ‘dance'.

AG0423