A bristling, three-dimensional mask, styled like a snarling leopard, is ingeniously constructed with feathers, quills, shells, fur, and other materials. Aggressive details such as cartridge shells on the top and wooden leopards' teeth edging the sides and bottom indicate that the mask is intended to be male. This carving emanates an assertive, spiritually commanding aura.

In the social life of the We people, the mask acts as a mediator between members of the community and as a tool for teaching moral lessons during civil disputes or public entertainment. Masks created in this part of Africa-eastern Liberia and western Côte d'Ivoire-are often cumulative and used for generations. Once a plain wood carving, this mask now displays successive applications of materials that have added ritual significance and visual impact. A male artist was commissioned to carve the mask; others, during the lifetime of use, added shells, fur, and other objects. The more the mask accumulates, the greater its power. The masker also wears an immense raffia skirt and might carry a staff.

The masquerade is a spirit . . . given to men to organize and discipline them. . . . The sacred masquerade is thus the stabilizing element of society.
-We scholar Angele Gnonsoa, 1983