DAN, IVORY COAST / LIBERIA

Artists in Dan communities of Liberia and Côte d’Ivoire have mastered the art of carving impressive wooden ladles that are virtuoso works of sculpture. These ceremonial ladles, known as wunkirmian or wakemia (which translates as "spoon associated with feasts") are badges of prestige, acknowledging an individual woman for her incomparable generosity. They are not so much utilitarian objects as symbols of status and the bearer of spiritual powers. Quality of craftsmanship and complexity of design are constitutive of the work’s importance. To create such esteemed objects, Dan sculptors often relied on anthropomorphic forms and drew upon elements of style developed in other carvings such as masks and figures.

Emblematic of honor and status, wunkirmian are the possession of the wunkirle or wakede, "at feasts acting woman", a title of great distinction, it is given to the most hospitable woman of a village quarter. One woman in each village quarter is honored with the title of wunkirle. When a wunkirle becomes old she chooses her successor from among the young women of her quarter and passes down her wunkirmian. With the honor comes a lot of responsibility— the wunkirle must be of a generous disposition, gladly offering her hospitality to anyone at any time, organizing and providing for important meals, and feeding travelers.  To be able to afford this largess, the wunkirle must be successful and industrious, and a well-accomplished farmer.

One of the wunkirle’s responsibilities is preparing the large feast that accompanies masquerade ceremonies. The excellent farming abilities, organizational talents, and culinary skills of the wunkirle are called upon to properly welcome and celebrate the masquerade spirits. When a woman has been selected as the main hostess of such a feast, she parades through town carrying the large ladle as an emblem of her status. She is followed by a line of women from her quarter, each carrying a pot of cooked rice or soup. With help from her numerous assistants (usually female relatives or friends), she distributes grains and coins to the children of the community while dancing and singing. The event creates a profound visual analogy that honors the hostess, and women in general, as a source of food and life.

In addition to being emblems of honor, wunkirmian also hold spiritual power. They are a Dan woman's chief liaison with the power of the spirit world and a symbol of that connection. Among the Dan, the wunkirmian have been assigned a role among women that is comparable to that which masks serve among the men. As with masks, each wunkirmian is given an individual name. When a new wunkirmian is carved to replace an old one, sacrifices are made to empower it.

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