BAULE BLOLO BLA SPIRIT SPOUSE
Tribe: Baule
Country: Ivory Coast
Material: Wood, Cloth.
Size: 27" Tall
Status: Sold - Private Collection - California, USA
This
Baule sculpture represents a "blolo bla" or spirit wife (blolo bian
being spirit husband). In Baule culture, the otherworld, (known to them
as blolo), exists in contrast to the world of physical reality, existing
in parallel to the lived world and is considered to be the world of the
dead. Though, it must be noted that the blolo is more than a place for
the 'departed', it is also a place of origin for the spirits of the
newborn.
The
initial knowledge of ones otherworld mate usually comes from some sort
of crisis in young adult life, normally of a sexual nature, such as
sterility. The person facing the crisis would consult with a diviner
(wunnzueyifue), and it would normally be found out that the problems are
caused by the unhappiness or jealousy of ones neglected otherworld
opposite. In these situations, the divination could reveal that it is
necessary to represent this other world person by a carved statue, to
which offerings of food or money could be made on a regular basis and
that it is necessary to consecrate one night a week to this blolo person
by sleeping alone.
Recommended reading for more information: Dreams and Reverie - Phili L. Ravenhill ISBN:1-56098-650-6. |
