Tribe of the Week: The Dan People

December 6, 2017 By

An all new tribe page on the Dan people is live! Go read all about them here.

The Dan originated in Western Sudan, now Mali and Guinea, and currently reside in Liberia. The Dan have traditional animist beliefs; the belief that objects, places and creatures all have a distinct spiritual essence.

The Dan also believe there are two realms, the human realm and the spirit realm, which is actually the forest with spirits and wild animals living in it. As one could guess, the forest is very sacred to the Dan. Only those who say a prayer while wearing special materials can cross into the spirit world. Often they wear masks to visit the supernatural world and transform into spirits. The masker will enter a deep trance and begin to speak in tongue.

Masks are therefore the most important form of artwork created by the Dan, as they bridge the gap between the supernatural realm and the physical world.

Be sure to take a look at our Pinterest board, The Dan Tribe.

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