En vente sur le site www.africadirect.com/productsdesc.html?ID=4046"Wee (We, Kran, Guere, Ngere) mask-FEARSOME Product ID: 004893 People: Wee Face Mask. We (We, Kran, Ngere, Guere). Liberia – Ivory Coast. Wood, cloth, raffia, fiber hair, cloth and paint. Height: 11 inches. Height on stand: 15 inches. This very brightly painted and fearsome mask comes from the We people of western Ivory Coast and eastern Liberia. The We have been variously known in the past as the Kran in Liberia and the Nguere or Guere in Ivory Coast. Though close in terms of geography and culture to the well-known Dan people in the region, they are separated by language (Wee are Kru speakers and the Dan are Mande speakers). Both the Dan and We have dynamic masking associations known as Poro that initiate the young and regulate society. Poro is an exclusively men’s society, however masks between the We and their Dan neighbors are divided into male and female categories based on their form and details. Female masks are rounded or oval, narrow eyes and finely delicate non-challenging features, whereas the male mask is larger in size, grosser in proportions, with an open and menacing mouth with teeth, tube-like eyes, fur and raffia. The exaggerated features of this mask,though vaguely human, refer to forces in the bush whose energy and powers add to the authority of the spirit represented. Whereas female masks appear to entertain, male masks exercise social control, punishing wrongdoers, settling disputes, declaring wars and proclaiming peace. In the past they are also said to have been in the bush camps when the boys were being initiated. We masks like this were meant to invoke fear. This well-used We mask is brightly painted to increase it's fearsomeness and to emphasize the exaggerated facial features. A small cloth bag, filled with some form of magic or perhaps even verses from a religious text, is attached to the forehead. This fine mask comes with its own stand for display. "
