Object Name: Nature spirits (asie usu)

Artist: Unknown

Culture: Baule peoples

Place of Origin: Côte d’Ivoire

Date/Era: 19th century

Dimensions: H (female): 45.7 cm; H (male): 48.3 cm

Medium/Materials: Wood

Credit Line: Fowler Museum at UCLA. Gift of George G. Frelinghuysen.

Accession Number: X67.2033ab

Baule figures carved as pairs by a single artist usually represent nature spirits known as asie usu, residents of the dangerous world beyond the village. They may arbitrarily possess a person, disturbing the social order and compelling him or her to act in abnormal ways. To restore balance, figures may be carved as intermediaries to acknowledge the spirits. This male/female spirit pair embodies the physical qualities most admired by Baule people: strong, youthful bodies, elegant hairstyling, and scarification marks. Asie usu figures may acquire an encrusted surface from repeated offerings of sacrificial substances.