Baga Wooden Sculpture

The Baga live on the Coast of Guinea, and are named for the phrase “bae-raka,” meaning “People of the Seaside.” They speak their own language and also the Mande language, Susu. The Baga are one of several groups of coastal Guinea Bissau, and live in village environments traditionally ruled over by clan heads. Their economy is based upon rice agriculture and fishing; the latter may have been secondarily learned as oral tradition states that the Baga people migrated from inland areas towards the sea by a hostile invasion of their homelands. Their traditional religion was forced out by the arrival of Islam in the mid 20th century, leading to a plethora of art objects arriving in western markets. This boldly-posed figure is a rarity, made by the Baga of Guinea Bissau. Its long head, beak-like nose, and simplistic body composition give this figure a distinctive look.