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THE DAN: ART AND HISTORY
(Dan-Gioh, Gioh, Gio, Gyo)
Marfil Coast, Liberia, Guinea
Three hundred fifty the thousands give of the zone the northwest of Liberia and the northwest of the Ivory Coast lives in wooded regions to the south and of savannah to the north. They are agriculturists and periodically they plow the forest to obtain new fields of culture. Also they live on the hunting and the fishing.
They give them have a language commands and towards Century VIII they salireron of the west and the north of western Sudan. Along with them hand, their neighbors, in Century VIV settled in the northwest, next to the Wé. They give them have the reputation of being fierce soldiers in permanent fight with its neighbors wé, guro and them hand of the south.
Until end of the last century, in which the society of the leopard was created, go, the different groups lacked central authority and they did not count on institution nor political unit some. The town was made up of several clans united around a head selected by its strong personality or its success like head soldier and of agriculture. This union was very precarious and they give could go away with all facility to settle in another place. Nevertheless, the frequency of the incursions predatorias between towns demanded a solid defense that assured young people and soldiers, who in this way had the opportunity to acquire prestige. The mentioned incursions had like object to provide themselves with slaves who, on the other hand, encouraged their cannibalism. The head of the town had to respond before the advice of old, also detentadores of the power. In order to raise in the social scale, the clan heads organized great celebrations and distributed gifts, reason why they had to be very rich to get to be very powerful. At the present time, when no longer it is possible to distinguish themselves in the war or to found a new community without the agreement of the central government, the asquisición of prestige continues being, in spite of everything, a main target for give them. One of its basic concepts is tin, that can be translated by prestige, success or fame, and derives in a furious individualismo and a strong hierarchial structuring, specially in the numerous secret societies or the associations of dancers, carriers of masks or craftsmen.
To the head of the town and the advice of old the masculine associations were added that tried to make the sociopolítica unit, reinforcing the rules of behavior by means of the exigency of loyalty and absolute obedience to their members. Also they provided a iniciática education to the young people inside the forest during a period of 3 or 4 months. These societies appealed to the spirits tutelary of the forest. At the present time, most powerful it continues being the association of the leopard that, without to have finalized its work of stabilization and unification, continues extending with the course of the years. It is implanted from the northeast and it consists of a cult offered to a represented very powerful pacificador spirit with a mask, gogle, whose characteristics can vary from a town to another one. It can happen that a already existing mask is separated from its function to incarnate to Go. The carrier of the mask and its proprietor enjoy a very high status in the hierarchy. According to E. Fischer (1978), the masks are the spirit of the forest and not their representatives. Their appearance during the celebrations of masks solves the conflitcos that could not have been fixed by the head of the town. The women also receive an initiation that concludes with the ablation.
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They give them create in a world divided in two different spheres: the one of the town (that include to the inhabitants the utensils made by the man) on the one hand, and the sphere of the forest with the wild animals, the spirits Bon and the possible fields to plow, by another one. To cross the line that separates both worlds can be dangerous. Zlan created the universe from the mud modeled by its hands. It is the first inaccessible escultor, but also it is invoked to Du, an invisible although present spiritual power in all the aspects of the universe. This spiritual power leaves the body of a person to its death, which will have to wait for the reincarnation in the town of deads.
The dream is the mass media of Du with the human beings. The wood masks are very numerous and incarnate the supernatural spiritual force denominated gle, that lives in the forest and wishes to participate in the local life. Nevertheless, to the invisible being, it must appear in dreams with his complete form and its function to an initiated man who will notify it to the advice of old. These will have the responsibility to decide if he is opportune to create a mask and to make carry it by the soñador. The presence of masks is necessary in each significant event. Fischer enumerates eleven types of masks, that although respond to different functions, can have similar formal elements. |
The wood masks are very numerous and incarnate the supernatural spiritual force denominated gle, that lives in the forest and wishes to participate in the local life. Nevertheless, to the invisible being, it must appear in dreams with his complete form and its function to an initiated man who will notify it to the advice of old. These will have the responsibility to decide if he is opportune to create a mask and to make carry it by the soñador. The presence of masks is necessary in each significant event. Fischer enumerates eleven types of masks, that although respond to different functions, can have similar formal elements.
Deangle, for example, is a feminine, benevolent mask, of oval form and with the sunk eyes covered by a white kaolin band; the forehead is divided until the nose by a vertical ring, the lips are protuberantes and often they appear between open on some metallic teeth. When the town acts like an intermediary between lso young in phase of initiation and, it takes the name of bonagle. Dance nor does not sing, but it is going to look for food between the women, with whom it jokes.
There are other masks that appear in the course of celebrations like bagle which they have tubular eyes, the low forehead, only take to moustache and the skull finished off by horns, being a mask destined to cause the laughter with their grotescas pantomimas. Kagke, of perforated triangular eyes and in front, superciliary arc and pómulos in heavy relief, plays to attack the public with canes whose blows it is necessary to avoid. gunyegä masculine is distinguished of the previous one by the round and perforated eyes and takes part on foot during the races between the initiated young people. Weplirkirgle, of protuberantes in tube form and always asymmetric eyes, presents/displays a deformity and it is not allowed to ***reflx mng itself of her although their gestures are amused. Blua, gle has the important mission to escort and to bless the soldiers, dances with fogosidad and shows its force loading somebody to shoulders. One identifies thanks to him to blua, a great hairdo of black pens and by the fan, they maan, that maintains in the hand. They give them have a style unit that clears the uniformity.
The little existing statues are not representations of ancestors or spirits, but in charge pictures of favorite spouses to increase the prestige of their proprietor. Ma is called là ¼, \ “to be human of wood \”, and some statues form pair. Its meaning is had lost, although it can assume that they were associate to the spiritual power of the fecundity since between her several encuentan themselves \ “maternities \”. They appear front raised and, with the made oval face, the small eyes, expressive lips teaching the metallic teeth in encía superior; the neck sometimes has several circular curtains ring, as it happened between mende. The arms are straight and the short legs; the abdomen presents/displays escarificaciones and the carved hairdo usually is accompanied by braid adding made with vegetal fibers. The statue has in addition adornments done with small weave fragments and takes to jewels in ankles and fists, as well as necklaces, bracelets and slopes.
The woman who has distinguished by her hospitality and generosity, is owner of a magnificent carved wood spoon, a custom specifically give. The paper of the woman in the community is to welcome and to feed the travellers, musicians who participate in the celebrations and arrived men to plow the fields. The spoon has the power to give to wealth and fame, and confers a real authority on the other women. The spoons have several forms, being the most habitual the one of grip with form of comparable human head to the one of some masks; others have a handle formed by a pair of legs.
Formerly the escultores were compensated with celebrations, donations of foods, women and an assured future. The gift of the sculpture arrived to them through dream and next they worked for heads whom they loved to make an impression to his visitors with expensive objects. The hand can be related to give them and their masks identify by their nose respingona slightly. |
Other african ethnic groups available: BAMBARA , BANTU , ZULU , CHOKWE , BEREBER , MOSSI , FANG , DAN , BAMILEKE , DOGON , SONGYE , PENDE , BAULE , KUBA , SUKU , SENUFO , LUBA , BWA , GURO , BAMUN
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