Guro Yaure Portrait Mask Bird And Crocodile Cote d'Ivoire African Art

Description

Type of Object
Mask
Country of Origin
Cote d'Ivoire
People
Yaure/Guro
Materials
Wood, pigment
Approximate Age
20th century
Height (in)
28
Width (in)
8.5
Depth (in)
5.5
Overall Condition
Good. Most of our pieces have spent decades on at least two continents, and have been treasured by several owners.   Small splits, scrapes and cracks are a normal part of their patina attesting to their age and extensive use.  We examine each piece carefully when we receive it and report any damage we find in our listings.  Please look carefully at the pictures which may also reveal condition and damage.
Additional Information:
With a population of 200,000 the Guro live west of the Baule on the Côte d’Ivoire, in a heterogeneous area of free-filled savannas and dense tropical forest. Originally they were called Kweni, but they were violently colonized between 1906 and 1912 and were given the Baule name Guro by the invading French colonials. The Guro farm predominantly cotton, rice, coffee and cocoa – the men clear the field and the women plant. The daily life of the Guro is dominated by secret societies and by a belief in protective spirits, to whom the Guro used to build shrines and create figures. The most significant in this respect is the Je society, which is responsible for social, political, and juridical questions, decisions of peace and war, policing tasks, and the detection of destructive forces, as well as appearing at funerals of its members. This male society uses a variety of anthropomorphic and zoomorphic masks, some fitted with staff-like superstructures, all ostensibly fatal for women to view. Village life is regulated by a council of elders, representing each main family, and by secret societies.
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