Female Spirit Spouse (blolo bla)

The Baulé believe that a person is married to an earthly as well as a spiritual spouse. Blolo bla and blolo bian figures (also referred to as waka snan, “people of wood”) are therefore the physical embodiment of that spouse. The work proposed for acquisition is a blolo bla figure, as it represents a female. These spirit spouses remain in their owner’s bedroom and are washed, clothed, and fed with offerings by the owner. Once a week the owner sleeps alone to honor their spiritual partner. By doing so, they appease the spouse, who might at times become jealous or angry and bring misfortune to the owner. For women, this often manifests in the inability to conceive, and for men, the inability to secure a marriage. In such a moment of crisis, a spirit spouse may initially be commissioned. Upon the owner’s death, the figure no longer retains any significance, and they are typically disposed of or abandoned. Spirit spouses are carved of wood, stained, and polished. This figure’s knees are slightly bent and she wears anklets and straps around her knees, all carved in wood. On her torso, the artist incised an openwork panel of diamonds. She has triangular pendant breasts and carries a baby on her back. Her hair is arranged into a single-crested coiffure, and raised scarification marks are apparent on her neck, face, and chest. Four strands of beads hang around her hips.