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Baoule - Yaure
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History
The Baoule people came from the east and settled in the central Ivory Coast. The Baoule kingdom rose to power in the early eighteenth century and was subjugated by the French and English at the end of the nineteenth century.
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Location
Central Ivory Coast |
Religion
The Baoule worship the sky god, Niamie and his opposite, the earth goddess, Assie. The wind god, Gu, turns the world with his breath. Guli, the spirit of the dead, protects men from their enemies in battle and from evil demons, while Gbekre, the monkey judges the dead. |
Economy
The Baoule are farmers, growing yams, taro and manioc. Oil palms are important, the sap being tapped for palm wine, a staple of social and ritual life. The economic and social environment began to change in the late fifteenth century with the arrival of European merchants.
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Sociopolitical
The Baoule kingdom was a well organised, carefully structured bureaucratic state. Sociopolitical societies represented by Mblo masks, were active in the ruling and policing of the state. |
Sculpture
| Much of the art produced was intended to express the power and wealth of individual rulers and of the state. The Baoule are famous for their leadership regalia. |
| Masks carved by the Baoule and Yaure have delicate details of scarification and hairstyles. They have very refined, heart shaped faces with fine, curving eyebrows, and often curving, hornlike plaits of hair. The stylised fringe of beard is a typical Yaure style characteristic. |
| Figures include “Spirit spouses”, representing the spouse that everyone has had in the other world before birth, and nature spirits such as Gbekre, the monkey god, often depicted seated on a stool, holding a bowl used for sacrifices. Masks and statues are intricately carved, and polished to a high sheen. |
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