African Arts Gallery

Ex-French African art collection.
A curved beak-shaped mouth, evoking calao, extends the lower part of this African mask Dan Maou , Mau. With a beard that the ritual coatings have stiffened, this face that borrows the gaze of the race mask zapkei Dan , hesitating between two natures, turns into a zoomorphic piece. This type of composition is recurrent in African tribal statuary. The Dan populations of the north known as Yacouba of Côte d'Ivoire and the Maou de Touba (Maouka), after borrowing them from the mandé people neighbour, use them in secret male ceremonies including the Koma of the Maou . The eyes are surrounded by a thin red cloth that once came from the clothing of Senegalese gunners. Three metal teeth spring from the mouth. The parallel grooves surrounding the contours of the face evoke traditional scarifications. Dark brown velvety skate. For the Dan of Côte d'Ivoire, a people malinké also called Yacouba , two distinct universes are opposed: that of the village, composed of its inhabitants, its animals, and that of the forest, its vegetation and the animals and spirits that Populate. For these spirits to establish themselves, a specific area of the forest is designated and still preserved outside the dan villages. Sacrifices are also required in order to communicate through these spirits. Different types of dan masks have been identified, each with a specific function.