Dan masks are usually used by male associations for rituals, education, social control and entertainment. Masks were thought to embody the most powerful of spirit forces called gle. Each gle has its own character. They brought control and order to village life. There are several distinctly different types of Dan masks.
GAGON MASKS
Masks with a large beak-like form and beard of monkey fur, often with a moveable lower jaw, are Gagon masks, originally an educational mask instructing people on the importance of the hornbill, now used mostly for entertainment.
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