African Arts Gallery

Struck by prohibition, the masks of the Gyé society, or Dyé, could not be seen by women. This sacred African mask, combining the characteristics of different animals, is the Zamblé, a mythical male hero. Narrow and curved, its surface offers areas of contrasting colors.
Abrasions, small chip.
Among the group of Mande from the south, in the center of Côte d'Ivoire, on the banks of the Bandama, the Gouro are organized into lineages, and constitute the western neighbors of the Baoulé who borrowed several characteristics from their African tribal art creations. Animists, since the 1950s they have been using a family of masks associated with the Zaouli dance. Indeed, like the African Goli masks of the Baoulé, the set of Guro masks, relating to the geniuses of nature, comes in two zoomorphic masks followed by a third anthropomorphic, which is considered to be the wife of the mask zamblé, the Gu. Priest and diviner share the predominant ritual functions among the Guro. Secret associations worship the geniuses of nature, through the masks in which the spirits are believed to reside. The gu, gye and dye masks, in the hands of notables, are only exhibited during major funerals or the enthronement of a chef. (Kerchache)