BAULE, IVORY COAST

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Goli is a traditional dance and masquerade of the Baule people of Ivory Coast. It originated among the Wan people, neighbors of the Baule, and was adopted by the Baule between 1900 and 1910, perhaps in response to the disruption caused by European colonialism. Today it is the dominant traditional dance form, gradually replacing all others. It may be performed on important occasions such as funerals, or for entertainment. In any context, the enactment of the dance is a considerable feat – a single performance lasts an entire day.

The two dancers involved wear four different types of traditional masks in a prescribed order: first the disc-shaped kple kple, like the one offered here, second the antelope- and crocodile-inspired goli glen, then the ram-horned kpan pre, and finally the human-faced kpan, with crested hair. The symbolism of each mask is complex. At each stage, one mask is "male" and another "female,” representing aspects of one individual but differentiated by certain details (for example, the male kple kple is red and the female is black). The kple kple and the goli glen together constitute the "female" half of the dance.

The present mask strikes an immediate impression with its white-circled, almond-shaped and staring eyes, with bowed horns rising above, the shapes of each echoing the other. The stacked, double-round composition creates a beautiful figure-eight flow through the silhouette, all centered by the mask’s arresting gaze.

 An old collection number, #10042, is found on the back.

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