Ex-collection African art French Unlike the African masks of the Dan of the northern region with a smooth patina, the masks of the south offer a grainy surface, such as this example with a majestic headdress. Two types of secondary masks intervene in a particularly theatrical way: racing masks, gunye ge , intended for inter-clan competitions which required good vision, and fire guardian masks, zapkei ge . Other royal masks, the go ge, used only on special occasions, have an identical appearance and are adorned with a sumptuous headdress lined with cowries, textiles, and sometimes feathers. Within Dan society, mask wearers are high members of the social hierarchy. The masks intervene in the conflict resolution process when the village chief has not managed to solve a problem. In general, dan masks also have the particularity of not being representations of bush spirits but of actually being their incarnation. Most were kept outside the villages in specific shelters within the sacred forest or in the chief's room.
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