|
Tribe Snapshots Dan |
| Location: |
Liberia, Côte d'Ivoire |
| Population: |
350,000 |
| Language: |
Dan (Mande) |
| Neighboring
Peoples: |
Guere, Guro, Mano |
| Types
of Art: |
Dan sculptors mainly produce masks which deal
with virtually every element in Dan society, including
education, competition, war, peace, social regulation,
and of course, entertainment. They also produce
stylized wooden spoons and intricate game boards
used for mancala, a common game of "count
and capture". |
| History: |
Oral traditions describe the Dan society of
the 19th century as lacking any central governing
power. Social cohesion was fostered by a shared
language and a preference for intermarriage. Generally,
each village had a headman who had earned his
position of advantage in the community through
hard work in the fields and through luck as a
hunter. They usually surrounded themselves with
young warriors for protection from invading neighbors
and exchanged gifts with other chiefs in order
to heighten their own prestige. Out of this custom
was born the basic tradition of tin among the
Dan, which was based on displaying one's success
in order to build a good reputation and name. |
| Economy: |
The tradition of tin is still an essential part
of the Dan economy today. Young people strive
to make a name for themselves by lavishly spending
at community feasts to demonstrate their wealth.
Although farming and hunting have been largely
replaced by laboring in the diamond camps or working
at the rubber plantations, the establishment of
a hierarchical social order is still based on
the individual's ability to succeed. |
| Political
Systems: |
It has been only recently, through the creation
of the leopard society (go), that a unifying political
organization has emerged among the Dan. The secret
political society centers around the powerful
spirit go, who is responsible for peacemaking.
Although the power of go seems to be increasing
throughout Dan society, individual villages still
maintain a high degree of political independence,
and the economic power of the individual is still
highly valued. |
| Religion: |
The Dan world view holds that everything can
be divided into two separate and clear categories.
The primary dichotomy is between village and bush,
in other words, things that have been controlled
by man and things that have not. Crossing over
the dividing line is dangerous business, and whenever
it is done, whether to clear new fields or simply
crossing the forest, the bush spirits must be
appeased. In order to take part in village life,
the bush spirits must take corporeal form. The
Dan believe that all creatures have a spirit soul
(du), which is imparted onto humans and animals
from the creator god, Xra, through birth. One's
du is immortal and is passed on after death to
a new being. However, some du remain bodiless.
They inhabit the forests as bush spirits and must
establish a relationship with a person if they
wish to be manifested and honored. Often the spirit
will request the chosen person to dance the spirit,
utilizing a mask to illustrate the spirit's embodiment. |
|
|
