Due to the characteristic oval face, high-domed forehead, full mouth, large, round eye openings, and braided raffia hair, it is likely an initiation or dancing mask from the Dan tribe in Ivory Coast. The holes at the back edges of the mark are for attachments. Estimated to be from the mid-twentieth century.

Some Dan masks can be used to tell of secret societies, of rituals and knowledge passed from one generation to the next, ancestors, animals, and the spirit world. Many West African masks are a symbol of prestige and of forces beyond the understanding of everyday life.

Some are used in initiation ceremonies to mark the passing from youth into adulthood. Others bestow fertility, either to crops or hopeful parents. Most mark identify; a sense of belonging to a clan, tribe, or extended family.

Dan masks are sacred objects, used as a channel for communication with the spirit world in rituals of initiation and in dances. Masks also protect their owners.

This mask is mounted on a wire/metal stand. It also has a cord strung through one of the holes that are around the perimeter of the mask (perhaps for hanging).