No. MUS2026-147
The Dan Mask with No Face
Dan country (western Cote d'Ivoire · northeastern Liberia) · West Africa
Restricted
Source term: rhombe
rhombe: the French source term for the bullroarer.
Among the Dan of the Côte d’Ivoire–Liberia frontier, some masks had no face at all. These “naked masks” existed only as sound: a wooden board spun at the end of a cord replaced the human voice, while non-initiates were forbidden to see what produced it.
un rhombe, planchette en bois que l'on fait tournoyer au bout d'une corde
a rhombe, a wooden board that is twirled at the end of a cord
Introduction generale aux musiques d'Afrique noire, Dan section.
Particulars
- Object
- Cord-whirled wooden board used as the voice of a sound-mask.
- Function
- For certain Dan 'naked masks' that are exclusively sonic, the rhombe replaces a human voice; non-initiates must not see the instrument.
Source
Hugo Zemp, Musique Dan (Paris/The Hague: Mouton, 1971); 'Introduction générale aux musiques d'Afrique noire,' Dan section; CREM-CNRS, CNRSMH_E_1966_005_001