Baule mask

The kpan mask represents an adult woman with ideal beauty. It is the supreme mask, because the Baoulé consider women to have a soul superior to that of men (Vogel, 1997, p. 185); as such, it appears last during the festivities. He wears fly swords, symbols of maturity, and a leopard skin, an animal associated with royalty and power, is hung on the back of the mask.