BAULE
African Art/Western Art

THE BAULE PEOPLE

About one million people identify themselves as Baule (pronounced BOUGH-lay). They form one of the largest ethnic groups in Cote d'Ivoire and have been leaders in the independent modern nation. Most Baule people live in small farming villages where men and women perform different tasks to keep the community prosperous. In the arts, women make pottery; men carve wood, cast metal and weave cloth. Although only men wear masks, artworks are owned by women and men. Baule artists created one of Africa's great art traditions.


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