Bete

The Bete people live in the Southwest of the country of Côte d'lvoire. Their neighbors are the Akan ethnic groups to the east and the Guro people to the north. Although their population is less than 1 million, the Bete have a powerful history of artistic production. Their art is found throughout the world as representatives of the best abstract work from West Africa. They are an agricultural people, growing cocoa and coffee, whose existence is primarily linked to their patrilinear organizational structure. They are not a people with kings, but rather have villages that are termed headless, but that are under the authority of the ancestors' power as interpreted by intense spiritual individuals who are the mediators for the ancestors. It is assumed that the people have maintained their art forms, even exploring other artistic concepts, particularly because they are spiritual. Their religion is their adherence to the ancestors. Their art, therefore, represents the deepest philosophical concepts of the people.

Like all African people, the Bete have a close relationship with their ancestors; this allows them to have harmony, balance, and order in their society. Although they are in a region of Africa that has accepted outside religions, the Bete maintain an effective connection to their ancestors, who are responsible for all the activities of the ethnic group. They acknowledge the work of the Almighty Creator, Lago, but they neither pray to Lago nor worship Lago. As in almost all African cultures, the relationship of the human population to the Creator is distant. The work of Lago having been done before the origin of the human race, the people rely on ancestors and other spirits for everyday support. All power to protect, bring happiness, support fertility, and bring harmony among people is directly related to the spirits with special powers and energies, such as those that inhabit trees, rivers, and rocks.

The Bete follow their customs and taboos and make sacrifices of animals to keep order and balance. Every ritual is devoted to protecting the lineage of the ancestors. One of the reasons they have such extensive use of masks is because of the numerous festivals and ceremonies in honor of the ancestors. Among these masks are the gre or nyabwa with the exaggerated, distorted features around the mouth, forehead, and nose of the figure. These are masks that presided when there was conflict in the society. When the people had achieved peace, they were able to retire the masks. All masks are endowed with force, and among the Bete this force is often used by the people to prepare young men for war and to instill terror in the hearts of enemies. No mask exists without a dance.

It is important to note that the Bete have created a significant body of artistic work that elevates the African tradition in the same manner as the classical productions of ancient Egypt and Nubia. Their history of art is filled with numerous examples of works that utilize the principles of creativity, harmony, fantasy, and myth.

...