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

          Hornbill mahgle Mask. The 350,000 Dan live in regions covered by forest in the south and savannas in the north. Among the Dan people, masks are not controlled by a men’s association, but instead are owned by families and used by individual lineage members in contexts of social control, boy’s circumcision camps, and entertainment. Dan people have achieved special notoriety in the area for their entertainment festivals which were historically village ceremonies, but are today performed largely for honorable visitors or tourists. This mask represents a being, part human, part bird (mah=bird, gle=mask spirit), whose functions are to entertain and inform by dancing and singing, and to bless people. Hornbill masqueraders are very popular among the Dan peoples. The Dan believe that certain birds, and the hornbill specifically, portend good fortune, particularly when encountered on a perilous journey. Such masks are believed to bring good luck to its owner and his family.

Material: wood

Size:  12”x6”x4”