This mask was danced as part of an entertainment masquerade performance called ngblo. These ceremonies generally served no religious purpose and were associated with times of jubilation, though they have been recorded at funerals. The face seen here is an idealized portrait of a woman in the community who was greatly admired for her beauty and dancing skills. The mask would have been worn by a male relative, while the woman portrayed on the mask, or one of her female relatives, danced beside it. Such masks were typically named for their subject, and articles of her clothing were integrated into the dancer's costume. The identity of the woman honored by this example is currently unknown, though the style indicates that she lived in a village in the Bouake region of the Ivory Coast.