Dan (Gio, Gioh, Gyo,Yacouba, Yakuba), Côte d’Ivoire and Liberia

Ceremonial spoon. The 350,000 Dan live in the northeastern Côte d’Ivoire and in the east of Liberia, in regions covered by forest in the south and savannas in the north. Women have an important role in preparing a community for the arrival of masked spirits. The leaders must be sure that the women will be able to provide food for the accompanying feast. A woman who has distinguished herself through her hospitality and generosity will own a superb spoon of sculpted wood. This is a custom specific to the Dan. The woman’s role, in the heart of the village, is to receive and feed travelers, musicians participating in celebrations, and men who have come to help clear the fields. She parades through town with her female friends and family, carrying a large serving spoon as an emblem of her status. The spoon possesses the power to make one rich and famous and confers a sure authority over the other women. When the custodian of a spoon dies, a successor will be chosen by the spirit. The spoons may have different shapes.

Material: wood

Size: 26½”x 4”x 2½”