MASKS OF THE DAN TRIBE AFRICA

The Dan tribe chiefly inhabits the Ivory Coast and Liberia where they arrived in the eighth century B.C. A loose confederation of villages totaling some 350,000 individuals, the Dan have spent much of their history battling neighboring tribes and sometimes each other. This gave the them a ferocious reputation as each Dan warrior sought "tin": individual prestige or glory. In former times "tin" was readily available through bravery in war; but the encroachment of colonial governments, and increased centralization has made tribal conflicts less common. Today's young Dan warrior is left to find his "tin" through other pursuits.