Origin - Dan, Liberia / Ivory Coast

Use: guidance, protection, balance.

This spirit mask crowned with cowrie shells is associated with the Dan people of Liberia and Côte d’Ivoire, where masks serve as vital instruments of spiritual and social authority. Worn by initiates and elders, such masks appeared in ceremonies that mediated between the human and spirit worlds, reinforcing community values and moral order. The addition of cowrie shells, once a form of currency and a symbol of wealth and fertility, emphasized the mask’s power, prestige, and sacred role. When performed in processions and dances, the spirit mask conveyed messages of guidance, protection, and balance to the community. With its refined features and elaborate crown, this type of mask embodies ideals of beauty, prosperity, and spiritual strength within Dan society.