Dan Guere Talking Mask Mustache African Art SALE WAS $350.00

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Title<br>Dan Guere Talking Mask Mustache African Art<br>Type of Object<br>Musical instrument<br>Country of Origin<br>Cote d'Ivoire, Liberia<br>People<br>Dan or Guere-Wee(We)<br>Materials<br>Wood, pigment, cotton cloth, vegetal fibers, brass bells, cowrie shells<br>Approximate Age<br>20th century<br>Height (in)<br>16<br>Width (in)<br>6.5<br>Depth (in)<br>7<br>Other Dimensions<br>29 Inch height with stand<br>Overall Condition<br>Fair. Most of our pieces have spent decades on at least two continents, and have been treasured by several owners.   Small splits, scrapes and cracks are a normal part of their patina attesting to their age and extensive use.  We examine each piece carefully when we receive it and report any damage we find in our listings.  Please look carefully at the pictures which may also reveal condition and damage.<br>Damage/Repair<br>Cracks, bug damage, encrustation on mustache and wear.<br>Additional Information:<br>An expressive and large face mask with exaggerate details. This mask is identified as Dan mask, but it could come from the Guere or Wee people.<br>Representing a Ge, who is a spirit, this mask would serve as a visible symbol manifesting power, principles, and as a "spirit of the bush" to maintain social order, initiate the young and punish wrongdoers. They are used by the men's secret society called Poro-the enforcing arm of local authority..<br>If truly Dan and with  open round eyes and teeth in mouth, this mask would be identified as a Zakpai ge’ mask, an active and aggressive mask that serves a number of functions. Its primary role is that of a ‘firewatch’ mask that insures proper use of cooking fires by women. Accompanied by drums it confronts a woman who has been using fire carelessly or a fire much too large for its purpose. It appears in a very aggressive dance and will throw sticks and things about, knock over the cook pot with their meals into the fire and may even beat the women who set the fire to cook. Not a friendly mask at all. It also in some areas serves as a war mask. When used the mask had a cloth wrap around the outer edge that covered the dancer when wearing the mask. The few holes around the edge of the mask were used to hold a woven netting to keep the mask close to the face during the vigorous ‘dance’.<br>Recommended Reading:<br>E. Donner: Kunst und Handwerk in NO-Liberiaí, Baessler-Archiv, xxiii/2-3 (1940), pp. 45-110.<br>Harley, G.W., Notes on the Poro in Liberia, Papers of the Peabody Museum, Archaeology & Ethnology, XIX, No.2 (Cambridge, MA, 1941)<br>G. Schwab: Tribes of the Liberian Hinterland, ed. G. W. Harley, Papers Peabody Museum, Archaeology & Ethnology, xxxi (Cambridge, MA, 1947)<br>Harley, G.W. Masks as Agents of Social Control in Northeast Liberia, Papers of the Peabody Museum, Archaeology & Ethnology, xxxii, No.2 (Cambridge, MA, 1950)<br>W. Siegmann and Cynthia Schmidt, Rock of the Ancestors, (Suacoco, 1977)<br>E. Fischer and Hans Himmelheber; The Arts of the Dan in West Africa, (Zurich, 1984)<br>DL0620<br>**134120**<br>All content, including pictures, Copyright Africa Direct Inc., 2021<br>Add Us To Your Favorite Sellers!<br>Please visit our About Us page.<br>Africa Direct, Inc. has been selling on eBay since 1997 and has received more than 56,000 positive feedbacks. It is owned by Eliza and Sara, who began the company after spending a year wandering southern Africa in a camper van with their multi-racial family. They have been honored with eBay's Hall of Fame award, and by eBay Giving Works, through which they have raised more than $125,000 in charity auctions.<br>Customer Service<br>: We treasure our many long term customers, and will try to make you one of them! If you have problems, please tell us... we care!<br>Handling Time<br>: We ship daily except Sundays and holidays. Most orders go out the same day, and all go out within 48 hours.<br>Returns<br>: We want you to be happy with your purchase. You're welcome to return an item within 30 days in the same condition you received it--just let us know you're returning it. You may have either a credit or a refund for your purchase price, not including shipping both ways. If your original payment was made through PayPal, we'll refund you through PayPal; if you paid us dir