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Title: Dan Poro Society Beaked Mask, Liberia African
Type of Object: Mask
Ethnic Group: Dan
Country of Origin: Liberia, Cote d'Ivoire
Materials: wood, pigment, vegetal fibers, cotton, feathers
Approximate Age: second half 20th century
Dimensions: 16 inches x 8.5 inches
Overall Condition: good. Most of our pieces have spent decades on at least two continents, and have been treasured by several owners. Small splits, scrapes and cracks are a normal part of their patina attesting to their age and extensive use. We examine each piece carefully when we receive it and report any damage we find in our listings. Please look carefully at the pictures which may also reveal condition and damage.
Damage, Repair: frozen, stain Additional Information: Poro masks are some of the most dramatic masks found anywhere in West Africa, and they can take on a myriad of forms. The Dan, like the Mano and other groups, observe the rigid dictates of Poro, and much of their art is dedicated to its practice. The oval shape of the face and the facial details on this wonderful mask indicates a Dan origin. Beaked masks are found up and down the coast of West Africa, but are most often associated with the peoples of Liberia. Among the Dan these masks most likely pay homage to the hornbill, a bird of enormous symbolic importance throughout most of Africa. Such masks play various roles in the Poro Society. and as agents of social control where they are used as judges or collectors of debts. The Poro Society, which permeates many of the ethnic groups in Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Cote d'Ivoire, is in charge of the initiation of young boys. This includes military training, and ends with feasting. The dancers in these secret ceremonies are masked to hide their identities. Despite the widespread existence of the Poro, the rites themselves are poorly documented even today. While we have many objects we have little real understanding--making the masks all the more fascinating. Recommended Reading: Harley, G.W., Notes on the Poro in Liberia, Papers of the Peabody Museum, Archaeology & Ethnology, XIX, No.2 (Cambridge, MA, 1941) Harley, G.W. Masks as Agents of Social Control in Northeast Liberia, Papers of the Peabody Museum, Archaeology & Ethnology, xxxii, No.2 (Cambridge, MA, 1950) E. Fischer and Hans Himmelheber; The Arts of the Dan in West Africa, (Zurich, 1984) E. Fischer; “Dan Forest Spirits: Masks in Dan Villages”, African Arts, II, no. 2, 1978. pp. 16-23, 94 I have examined this piece and agree with the description Niangi Batulukisi, PhD. **044378**
All content, including pictures, Copyright Africa Direct Inc., 2006
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