African Ivory Coast Baule Carved Wood Dipper, Slingshot, and Heddle Pulley. These figural pieces are rare glimpses into the lifestyle of the Baule people, as each is sculpted with figural imagery in order to imbue them with luck as well as bond them to the user. The dipper is used to drink from and throw water during rituals, the slingshot is one of the earliest weapons their children are charged with making to prepare them for hunts, and the pulley is used on a traditional narrow-band loom to produce their highly-sought textiles. 

Size: 10 1/4 x 4 x 2 1/2 in. 

The Baule are an Akan people and one of the largest ethnic groups on the Ivory Coast of Africa, traditionally living as farmers in the central region between the Bandama and N’Zi Rivers. The Baule Kingdom was established around 1730 by Queen Abla Pokou following a migration from the Mande Kingdom in Ghana, lasting until the French colonization in 1893. The tribe became dominant in the region during the mid-20th century due to their control of the profitable cocoa, rubber, and coffee industries. The Baule people are widely known for their refined artistic talent, producing diverse sculptures, face masks, human figurines, and works in gold, bronze, and ivory. Their art often intersects with that of the neighboring Yaoure tribe and is imbued with spiritual significance, representing protective or ancestral beings. These sacred works, particularly the ram-headed Bonu Amuen figures, are highly collectible due to traditional restrictions on who can view them.

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