Dan
(Gio, Gioh, Gyo,Yacouba, Yakuba), Dan
(Gio, Gioh, Gyo,Yacouba, Yakuba), Deangle Mask.
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. Visually, the Dan masqueraders
show an opposition between female beauty and gentleness and male fierceness and power. The
Deangle mask, shown here, is a naturalistic mask with human features, representing
a female forest spirit. These masks with oval faces and slit or circular eyes portray type
of spirit whose attributes and behavior are feminine. When the deangle masks are
used in the boy’s circumcision camp located in a sacred forest grove, their function
is to provide the boys with a calm surrogate feminine presence and to instruct boys in
adult male responsibilities, social roles, and proper behavior. In such a context,
masquerades serve as devices of learning, as well as facilitate the initiate’s access
to the knowledge and secrets controlled by the most powerful male elders.
Material:
wood