A Dan Bassa mask, Danané region, Ivory Coast, incl. stand. This wooden face mask features an elongated face framed by a worn, dark brown patina that reveals the natural color of the wood in places. Strongly arched brow ridges dominate large, almond-shaped eyes, pierced by slits that allow the wearer to see. The nose is long and powerful, with flared nostrils, while the slightly open mouth is formed by thick, protruding lips. Chevron patterns are carved vertically on the forehead and below the eyes, likely representing scarification or body ornamentation. The headdress consists of four rounded sections, the two central parts of which are marked with fine grooves. Two long strips of antique fabric, attached to the sides, extend the carving and would have been part of a larger ensemble. The perforations around the edge, the deep internal cavity, and the openings for the eyes and mouth confirm that this was a mask intended to be worn, originally with a costume to conceal the dancer. The term “Dan-Bassa” should be understood, however, as an attribution to a stylistic and cultural area shared between Liberia and western Côte d’Ivoire, rather than as the definitive identification of a specific ritual type. Museums separately preserve masks attributed to the Bassa of Liberia and the Dan of the border region, while emphasizing the close artistic connections between these populations. In Dan societies, masks gave visible form to spiritual powers and could intervene, according to their particular character, in protection, education, justice, maintaining order, or entertainment. Each mask derived its identity from the costume, music, dance, and social context of its appearance. "The Bassa people inhabit the central coastal region of Liberia. They have several secret societies for both males and females, and some societies have socially important masking functions. The geh-naw mask is used by the Nor Society. It is fixed to a wicker framework and worn on the forehead over a cloth and raffia costume during adult initiation ceremonies for boys. The dancer glides around to the beat of drums, seeing only through holes in the basketry sustaining the mask." Source: Second Face Museum of Cultural Masks Dan masks have been documented as the embodiment of at least a dozen artistic personalities. Among these are Deangle, who ventures into the village from the initiation camps to ask women for food; Tankagle and Bagle, who entertain through a range of aesthetically pleasing dances, skits, and mimes; Gunyege, whose mask is worn by a community's champion foot racers in competitions; and Bugle, who historically leads men into battle. Once they are divorced from their performance contexts, however, mask forms are difficult to identify. Performances of Bete and Wee masks may span the careers of many generations of wearers, contributing to the increasingly sacred status of these objects. A masquerade's vitality may also be transferred from one mask form to another. Over time, any respected Dan mask may eventually be elevated to the category gunagle, the mask that represents a village quarter, or gle wa, a judicial mask.” Lit: The Arts of the Dan in the West Africa, Eberhard Fischer and Hans Himmelheber, 1984 Literature (Selection) Eberhard Fischer, Dan: People and Masks in the Ivory Coast, Zurich 1976. Daniel B. Reed, Dan Ge Performance: Masks and Music in Contemporary Ivory Coast, Bloomington 2003. Anita J. Glaze, Art and Death in a Senufo Village, Bloomington 1981. Herbert M. Cole, Icons: Ideals and Power in the Art of Africa, Washington D.C. 1989. Susan M. Vogel, Africa Explores: 20th Century African Art, New York 1991. Jacques Kerchache, Jean-Louis Paudrat, and Lucien Stéphan, African Art, Paris 1988. Some of the information is generated by artificial intelligence and is based on published sources from the fields of ethnography, archaeology, and art history. Informant: Bakari Bouafle Invt. No. MAZ20142