Glé head
- Date: before 1938-39
- Location: Zigro, Cavally, Ivory Coast, Africa
- Origin: We
- Collection: Ethnography
Who are the We?
The We (also sometimes referred to as Gere) are a people living in the southwest of Côte d'Ivoire and in Liberia. The We, along with the related Wobe, belong to the Kru language family. The neighboring Dan people, like the We deeply studied by Vandenhoute, belong to the larger Mande language family.
What is this glé head used for?
This head was called the ‘commander’. It was used during gatherings of the glé cult. The glé cult was introduced in 1928 by an African soldier who had fought in France during World War I. For that reason, many objects were given military titles. A flywhisk, for instance, was called a ‘tirailleur’, and this head was named ‘commander’. The glé cult attached a lot of importance to fortune-telling. When wearing a glé mask, a female medium could induce a trance. This way, she could consult the glé head’s personified spirit. The spirit would assist her in diagnosing the problem at hand.
Where did glé heads get their powers from?
The glé head was a sacred object. Blood, thunderstones, poison and other ‘magical’ ingredients had to be rubbed all over the head in order to activate it.
