Cote d’Ivoire
Baule

Wood, hide, fiber rope. red kaolin paste
Early-Mid 20th Century
Height: 20 inches Width: 12 inches Length 29 inches
Membranophone – Struck (Directly) – Single Headed

This drum comes from the Baoulé ethnos group of the Cote d’Ivoire. The drum consists of a pair of figures (male and female), each standing on plinths that rise from a platform. Both figures have muscular arms and legs, and show elaborate scarifications on the face and body. The drum and figures are carved from a single piece of wood, with added extras: First, the male’s right arm is attached with a hand-made nail, enabling it to move; second, a staff that is inserted into the right hand of the male and last; the four wooden drum pegs. The drum head is original and is of goat or sheep skin. Around the edge of the base and in the center, are low relief diamond/geometric carved designs, with a shallow lipped hole carved in the center and painted red. On four sides of the drum are low relief carved faces (possibly ancestors). The Baule are one of the Akan people, who moved west to the Cote d’Ivoire more than 200 years ago. They are one of the largest and most-powerful groups in Cote d’Ivoire today.