For the Dan, a mask is a manifestation of a forest spirit. When a spirit decides to intervene in human affairs, it selects a villager to impersonate it through appearing in a dream. With the information thus gained, the chosen person commissions a mask from a carver. Eleven different mask types have been identified, and a mask can acquire new functions with the addition of other materials.

The similarity in style makes it difficult to distinguish between zakpai and gunyege masks without contextual information. Zakpai means a fire-extinguishing mask. As winter is the dry season in Côte d¿Ivoire and Liberia, fire is a constant threat, and the masker appears around noon on winter days, accompanied by children, to ensure that all fires are extinguished. The large tubular eye-holes here are typical of zakpai and would have been framed with tin sheeting, as remaining metal fragments here might indicate. A red cloth over the face and a short costume of raffia and green leaves complete the apparel of the zakpai masker.

Gunyege means `house-spirit,¿ a force considered to help a runner in a race. The mask is worn in a race between two boys of similar age but from different households.