What is a goli ritual?
The Goli festival is a day-long spectacle that involves the whole village. It is performed during funerals as well as commemorative occasions and agricultural events. The Goli masquerades involve three rituals during the day; dawn, afternoon and after sunset.
Where did Baule Goli come from?
A beautiful and unique handcrafted Goli mask that originates from the Akan people from Ghana and the Ivory Coast who are known as The Baule . The Baule tribal people migrated westwards from Ghana three centuries ago as the Ashanti rose to power.
What is a KPLE KPLE mask?
This type of mask, called kouassi gbe or kple kple is one of a pair of identical masks which represent the junior male persona of the goli dance (Vogel 1978). The mask is held firmly against the wearer’s face by a bar of wood, which he clamps between his teeth.
What does the Baule mask symbolize?
Designed as part of a Baule theatrical tradition, known as “Mblo,” that combines dramatic skits and solo dances, this mask is an idealized representation of the prominent member of the community for which it was sculpted.
Where is the Baule mask from?
The Baule are part of the Akan people of Côte D’ivoire, also famous for the Goli mask. Baule masks have been exhibited in the west since as early as the first decade of the 20th century. SImilar masks inspired the modernist art movement.
Who wears African masks?
dancers
In many African groups, masks are worn by dancers. Masked dancers often participate in ceremonies that include songs and prayers. Different ceremonies honor children’s coming of age, harvests, funerals, and other events. The person who wears the mask knows exactly what he or she must do.
Do African masks have spirits?
African masks provide a tangible form for invisible spirits, which are personified as human beings, animals, or fantastic composites of both. Spirits—deities, ancestors, and nature spirits (those that inhabit streams, rivers, rocks, and other natural forms)—get involved in the affairs of people, by invitation or not.
Who is OWIE Kimou?
The 400,000 Baule who live in central Côte d’Ivoire in West Africa have a rich carving tradition. Many sculpted figures and masks of human form are utilized in personal shrines and in masquerade performances.
Who made the MBLO mask?
Owie Kimou
Portrait mask (Mblo) Owie Kimou. Early 20th century C.E. Wood and pigment.
What does a Baule mask look like?
The Baule assimilated a number of their neighbors’ masquerade forms: a naturalistic face mask, a horned helmet mask, and a flat circular mask called kple kple. The flat, disk-shaped face with ringed eyes and rectangular mouth is surmounted by ears and large curving horns.
