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Masquerades are important events for the Baule people of Cote d’Ivoire. Some are meant for the community to view and also be involved in, while others are for a limited audience. The most popular of the Baule masquerades is the Goli, which is an adaption from the Wan people of Maule. This masquerade takes place all-day and is performed for the community as entertainment, but also as protection. The individuals that dance these masks “wear empowering substances and must obey dietary and other restrictions.” The masks used in the goli dance are made of wood and painted with pigment. Men dance all the masks; however the dances include four male/female pairs. The two masks in each pair look nearly the same; one being red (male) while the other is black (female). The masquerade shows the transition of a young, foolish boy (kplekple) to a stronger more aggressive male (goli glin) and then displays the change of a young girl (kpan pre) that becomes an idealized woman (kpwan). Both the younger male and female masks are seen as wild and animalistic, while the stronger, wiser adult equivalents symbolize the humanistic way of the community.
Although their representation is of males and females at different stages in life, they take on the forms of abstracted animals. For example, the adult male, goli glin mask is a combination of bush-cow, antelope, and crocodile, which is symbolizes adult males. While the Baule see these animals as spiritual, the portrayals of them help contribute to the aggressive nature of this mask. “Crocodiles are linked with leadership and elders because of ‘their dangerous, ferocious, and fearless behavior. Most important, they can communicate with the ancestral world at the bottom of deep pools of water.”[1] It is a helmet mask and is worn over the entire head; the red painted onto these masks implies “blood, danger, trouble, and aggression.” The masker performs an aggressive and difficult dance. The goli glin mask is associated with killing, but also protection. This masquerade is often danced at men’s funerals to celebrate both life and the Baule ancestors. _____________________________________
[1] Hope Werness, The Continuum Encyclopedia of Animal Symbolism in Art, (New York: The Continuum International Publishing Group Inc, 2003), 117-120.
Image source: Baule, Animal Spirit Mask, wood, Data from: University of California, San Diego, (photograph provided by ARTstor)
Although their representation is of males and females at different stages in life, they take on the forms of abstracted animals. For example, the adult male, goli glin mask is a combination of bush-cow, antelope, and crocodile, which is symbolizes adult males. While the Baule see these animals as spiritual, the portrayals of them help contribute to the aggressive nature of this mask. “Crocodiles are linked with leadership and elders because of ‘their dangerous, ferocious, and fearless behavior. Most important, they can communicate with the ancestral world at the bottom of deep pools of water.”[1] It is a helmet mask and is worn over the entire head; the red painted onto these masks implies “blood, danger, trouble, and aggression.” The masker performs an aggressive and difficult dance. The goli glin mask is associated with killing, but also protection. This masquerade is often danced at men’s funerals to celebrate both life and the Baule ancestors. _____________________________________
[1] Hope Werness, The Continuum Encyclopedia of Animal Symbolism in Art, (New York: The Continuum International Publishing Group Inc, 2003), 117-120.
Image source: Baule, Animal Spirit Mask, wood, Data from: University of California, San Diego, (photograph provided by ARTstor)