Divination Object (Gbaule)
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Object Label
This object creates a frightening and otherworldly effect. Gbaule are divination objects used by the We to determine the causes of illness and to identify evil forces. A diviner holds the gbaule while in a trance. He is asked questions, and the movement of the gbaule indicates a response.
The divination society associated with this object was created by a man of the neighboring Krou people who had served as a soldier in France in World War I, and it became quite popular in the following decade. This origin explains why a head such as this one is also called a commandant.
Caption
We. Divination Object (Gbaule), early 20th century. Clay, feathers, porcupine quills, cloth, aluminum, cowrie shells, leather, glass, rattan, rice heads, hair, wood, pigment, 22 1/2 x 16 1/2 x 3 1/2 in. (57.2 x 41.9 x 8.9 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Blake Robinson, 1992.196.3. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 1992.196.3_edited_SL1.jpg)
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Culture
Title
Divination Object (Gbaule)
Date
early 20th century
Geography
Possible place made: Liberia, Possible place made: Moyen-Cavally Region, Liberia
Medium
Clay, feathers, porcupine quills, cloth, aluminum, cowrie shells, leather, glass, rattan, rice heads, hair, wood, pigment
Classification
Dimensions
22 1/2 x 16 1/2 x 3 1/2 in. (57.2 x 41.9 x 8.9 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Blake Robinson
Accession Number
1992.196.3
Rights
Creative Commons-BY
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