DAN STYLE GAGON MASKS, Liberia and Ivory Coast
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.
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 bird to their culture, they are now used mostly for entertainment.
Despite its appearance this mask shows no evidence of age or use and was probably made to be sold.
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