 |
Baboon (Gbekre)
Ivory Coast, Baule, 20th century
Wood, mixed media, and sacrificial material. Height: 28 in. (71 cm)
Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Leroy S. Lavine. 81.86.5
The gbekre or baboon figures are popular among the Baule people
of the Ivory Coast, an Akan group, speaking a Twi language of the Kwa branch
of the Niger-Congo family. The function of the gbekre figures is
understood in terms of the centrality of agriculture in Baule life demonstrated
in the annual harvest festival in rural areas, in which the first yam, the
major staple food, is symbolically offered to the ancestors. Gbekre
are placed as guardians at the gates of villages, but they are also considered
the patron of the farmers. According to Baule mythology, the baboon and
other ape figures symbolize the son of the god of heaven. It receives the
offerings for this deity to ensure the protection and fertility of the farmers'
crops. The Baule use of the baboon figure can be attributed to the apes'
closeness to humankind, alluding to a higher, spiritual being.
Carved in natural unstained wood with minimal details and projecting jaws,
the gbekre figures are in contrast to the smooth and shiny surfaces,
intricate stylization, meticulous attention to anatomical description, and
coiffure and body decoration considered to be characteristic of traditional
Baule sculpture. Gbekre figures are often portrayed with open hands
or holding small cups for sacrificial offerings; their surfaces are often
encrusted with the sacrifices poured directly over them. |
