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Dan Bete Guere African Mask 15″ on Custom Stand – Ivory Coast

$147.50

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SKU: 1017384 Categories: ,
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This mask was carved in the style of the Dan Bete Guere people of Ivory Coast. The mask features a face with horn like objects protruding from the cheeks and downward and wrapping in front of the nose. It measures 15 inches tall, and 16 inches on its custom stand and weighs 5.5 pounds. There is a missing part on a center horn and has some cracking in the back. Please inspect photos carefully.

Type of Object

Face Mask

Country of Origin

Ivory Coast

Ethnicity

Dan Bete, Dan Guere

Material

Wood, pigment, fiber, cloth

Approximate Age

Unknown

Height (Inches)

15" mask, 16" w/ stand

Width (Inches)

12"

Depth (Inches)

7"

Weight (Pounds)

5 lbs

Tribe Information

About the Bete People

“The Ivory Coast is home to the Bete – the live between the Akan tribe to the east and the Guro tribe to the north. They number 350,000 and live in villages, with the eldest man of the main family at the head. Historically, they were hunters, but nowadays they also farm. Religion, omnipresent in Bete life, aims to maintain a harmonious relationship between nature and the ancestors who are responsible for the welfare of the tribe. Elaborate masquerades are ceremonies are performed by the men of the tribe who belong to dance societies. “

Source:
Baquart, Jean-Baptiste. The Tribal Arts of Africa. New York: Thames and Hudson Inc. 1998. Print.

About the Dan People

The Dan are known for their superb woodwork. Masks are the single most paramount form of artwork created by the Dan, creating a bridge between the supernatural and physical worlds.
Read more about the Dan here.

About the Dan People

“Dan people, who are also known by the name Yacuba, live in the western part of the Ivory Coast and into Liberia where the land is forested in the south and bordered by a savannah in the north. The 320,000 Dan people make their living from farming cocoa, rice and manioc. Before unifying secret societies were set up at the turn of the century, each Dan village was an autonomous socio-political unit governed by a chief elected on the base of his wealth and social position. Today, the leopard society acts as a major regulator of Dan life and initiates young men during their isolated periods of three to four months in the forest. Dan people have achieved notoriety in the area for their entertainment festivals which were historically village ceremonies, but are today performed largely for tourists. During these festivals, masked performers dance on stilts.”