Goli is a traditional African dance and

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of the

Baoulé people The Baule or Baoulé ( Baule: ''Baule'' a.u.le french: baoulé awle are an Akan people and one of the largest ethnicities in Côte d'Ivoire who historically migrated from what is today Ghana. The Baoulé are traditionally farmers who live in ...

of the

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. A single performance of a goli lasts an entire day.Hope B. Werness, ''Continuum Encyclopedia of Native Art: Worldview, Symbolism, and Culture in Africa, Oceania and Native North America'' (London and New York: Continuum, 2000), 19–20. The goli originated among the Wan people, neighbours of the Baoulé. It was adopted by the Baoulé between 1900 and 1910, perhaps in response to the disruption caused by

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. Today it is the dominant traditional dance form, gradually replacing all others. It may be performed on important occasions, such as funerals, or for entertainment. The two dancers in a goli wear four different types of traditional masks in a prescribed order: first the disc-shaped ', then the antelope-and-crocodile-inspired ''goli glen'', then the ram-horned ''kpan pre'' and finally the human-faced ''kpan'' with crested hair. The masks have complex symbolism. At each stage, one mask is "male" and another "female", although the differences between them are subtle, since they represent aspects of one individual. For example, the male ''kple kple'' is red and the female is black. The ''kple kple'' and the ''goli glen'' together constitute the "female" half of the dance, while the later masks are "male". Each mask is also conceived of as having male and female aspects.

References

{{reflist African dances Baoulé people