Dan

Ivory Coast (Cote d'Ivoire)

The Dan, who are also known by the name Yacuba, live in the western part of the Ivory Coast and into Liberia where the land is forested in the south and bordered by a savannah in the north. They make their living from farming cocoa, rice and manioc. Before unifying secret societies were set up at the turn of the century, each Dan village was an autonomous socio-political unit governed by a chief elected on the base of his wealth and social position. Today, the leopard society acts as a major regulator of Dan life and initiates young men during their isolated periods of three to four months in the forest. Dan people have acheived notoriety in the area for their entertainment festivals which were historically village ceremnoies, but today are performed largely for tourists. During these festivals, masked performers dance on stilts.

~ links to DAN items on ETHNIX.COM ~

DAN Face Masks

DAN Helmet Masks

DAN Passport Masks

DAN Ancestral Figures/Statues

DAN Mancala

DAN Trumpets