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BUSH SPIRIT: ASYE USU
Late 19th—early 20th century Baule peoples, COte d'Ivoire Wood, brass, glass, cloth, iron, pigment. H. 16 7/8 in. (42.9 cm) Bequest of Victor K. Kiam. 77.232
The Baule people, numbering approximately 1 million, live in central Cote d'Ivoire. Their oral history states that they fled to their present homes from the Asante region of present-day Ghana as the result of a dynastic dispute. While some of their art closely resembles that of the Asante, their wood sculpture is distinctively their own. The Baule make figure sculpture of two kinds, which, although stylistically similar, are used in very different ways. Both groups are owned by individuals and are the abode of spirits. The first, called asye usu, are used by diviners and are often displayed during sessions in which the diviner is possessed by a spirit and goes into a trance. The second, blobo bion/bla, represent an individual's spouse in the other world. Both depict the human figure in the prime of life, with all the characteristics that the Baule consider beautiful. The statue must be visually appealing in order to entice a spirit to take up residence in it. Distinguishing the function of a Baule statue can be difficult; the main indication is the surface. Asye usu tend to show signs of sacrifices and to have encrusted or mottled surfaces. Blobo bian/bla are cleaned and oiled and tend to have smooth, shiny surfaces. For this reason we can conclude that the New Orleans figure was probably a diviner's statue, an asye usu or nature spirit. The figure sits in a formal and dignified pose on a stool, itself a sign of importance and prestige. Its elaborate coiffure and body scarification also symbolize a person of importance and dignity, and its beard is a sign of mature wisdom. The focus of attention is the large, carefully detailed head. The spirit is thus represented as a wise and prosperous counselor—even though nature spirits are said to be hideous, terrifying creatures, with backward feet and other frightful qualities. The sculpture is in no sense a portrait, then; as with much world art, the subject is shown in a flattering manner rather than a realistic one. Many elements of the Baule aesthetic are present in this figure, most evidently the careful workmanship, fine detail, and smooth finish. Fingers, toes, and hair are shown in refined detail. The formal pose, with arms attached to the body, is that of most though not all Baule statues. Rounded, closed forms seem to express a strong visual preference in Baule carving, ceramics, and metalwork. This figure is a fine summary of what the Baule consider admirable and beautiful, in an artwork and in a man. JEROME VOGEL
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