African Art and the Dan People of Ivory Coast / Liberia
The 350,000 Dan people live in the western part of Cote d' Ivoire and Liberia whre they have forested land to their south and savanahs to the north. They are perdominantly a farming community, making a living from farming cocoa, rice and manioc. The Dan villages ran as autonomous communities, governed by a chief who was selected accoring to his wealth and social position, however since the early 1900's, dan life was more regulated by secret societies, with the leopard society acting as the major regulator of Dan life in present times.
Dan Masks:
Dan Masks are characterized by a concave face, protruding mouth an upturned nose, a high domed forehead and are ften covered in a rich brown patina.
Dan Statuary:
 The female figure sculptures of the Dan, were considered prestige items, and were often carved by wealthy patrons, mainly poweful chiefs often idealized portraits of the wife of the man commissioning the work. These figures sometimes were carved with babes on their backs and had the function of a maternity figure. The figures were hidden in houses and only revealed on important occasions such sas visits by foreign dignitaries, and the Dan owners sometimes charged a fee to visitors that would like to see them.
Even thought the portraits were carved primarily for the aesthetic pleasure of their owners, they do still share the same style and marking of the masks and spoons, which were seen as sacred objects that housed supernatural beings.
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