Dan Passport Mask

This African mask comes from Liberia and Cote D'Ivoire by the Dan people. This mask retains all the qualities of a beautiful carved mask from this region. The features are beautifully sculpted with attention to the detailing of eyes, nose and mouth. The holes around larger versions of this mask would have had the costume attached to it to cover and disguise the body of the dancer.

The Dan (or the Yacuba in some writing), in the past lived in small villages and towns ruling themselves through a complex arrangement of family lineages, men's secret societies and various initiation ceremonies. Famous for their masks, the Dan believe that spirits of the wild known as Du manifest themselves in masks and masquerades to humans instructing and sustaining them in life. When during a dream a male was instructed by a Du to dance a mask, he would commission a carver to make a mask for him. Among the Dan, masks are grouped in an assortment of forms with different duties assigned to each.