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Key Moments in Life: Elderhood 4 |
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The respect that is accorded both men and women who have attained positions of authority and honor is made visible among the Dan people (Liberia) by the large wooden ladles known as wunkirmian. The spoon bears an idealized portrait of the owner as a young woman, at the moment she began her role as mother and wife. The spoons are carved for women who are recognized by other women of a town as the most hospitable persons in a community. The spoons serve as symbol of that status and are used as a kind of dance wand when the honored women dances through the town accompanied by her own entourage of women. |
Dan people, Liberia |
