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The Baule represents one of the most important tribes of the Iv. Coast. Their name is testimony to their birth - according to legend, Queen Aba Pokou led her people on an exodus towards the goldmining areas during the 18th century and had to cross a river where she was obliged to sacrifice her son to the river god, thus giving her people the name Baule, 'the son is dead'.
During the 19th century, the queen dom disintegrated due to internal conflicts and by the beginning of the 20th century, when the French colonials arrived, they found only a network of villages, headed by councils of venerated men.
Baule artists produce numerous works of art, and Baule carvers are still very active today. With their great sense of stylization and attention to detail, they produce some of the most elegant objects of all African art.
