Waka sona Baoule statue, Ivory Coast - Lot 110

Waka sona Baoule statue, Ivory Coast This "Waka -Sona" sculpture, "wooden being" in Baoule, coated in a mottled ochre-brown patina, was generally inspired by the indications of the diviner. The visible joints, oversized face, hairstyle and beard, which were sculpted using shea butter, characterize this masculine figure. Velvety patina, very slight desiccation cracks .58 x 16 cm Two types of Waka-Sona statues are produced by the Baoulé for ritual purposes: those evoking an assiè oussou, an earth being, are part of a set of statues intended to be used as a medium by the komien diviners, who are selected by the asye usu spirits to communicate revelations from the beyond. The second type of statue is the male Blolo bian or female Blolo bia. Some sixty ethnic groups populate Côte d'Ivoire, including the Baoulé in the center, Akans from Ghana, a savannah people who hunt and farm like the Gouro, whose cults and masks they have borrowed. The basic unit is the lineage, under the responsibility of an elder, whose functions are political and religious.