Item Description: A standing figure holding an instrument, that resembles a flute. This statue has the typical over-large head in comparison to the rest of the body. The legs are short and slightly bent.

Cultural Profile: The Baule, an Akan people, make statues and masks which may be religious or commemorative. In a religious context, the statue is the abode into which the ancestor’s spirit is fixed. This example is a wooden carved ancestor statue. Both male and female figures generally have short legs. Unlike most African sculptures, it is aesthetically acceptable for the image to actually look like the one for whom it was intended.