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THE GURO: HISTORY AND ART
 (Gouro, Gwio, Kweni, Lorube)

The Ivory Coast

 

With a population of two hundred thousand individuals, guro settled to the west of the Baulé, enlas borders of the Bandama river (the Ivory Coast), a heterogenous region where savannah areas agree hoisted with densely wooded others. Pertenencientes to the group Commands, the Guro speak dialecto near the one of Dan, the Wa, the Myamu, the Gban and the Yauré. They descend from some lineages Sends that during centuries XVIII and XIX the north and the northeast emigrated from towards the territory that at the moment occupy, in the regions bete, baule and malinke. Between 1906 and 1912 they were colonized violently by the French those who fiercely faced.


In the traditional towns, the Guro cultivates rice, nñame, coffee destined to the commerce, cotton and cacao depending on the year. The men plow and the women, whose function in the market is important, take care of seedtime. To the north, the cabins are round and have ceiling of cane, whereas to the south are rectangular and the ceiling is of palm. The community is composed by several lineages, being head the one of the oldest lineage, helped by an advice formed by members of the main lineage. The Earth belongs to the Earth Mr., denomiando Trezan, that distributes it and offers the sacrifices. The fortune tellers or Monezodan usually receive consultations to settle down the ritual dates, predicting the future with the help of rods or of a huesco placed by a mouse that keeps in a box from wood or clay. The Zamlo association organizes celebrations in which the policromada mask of antelope stands out. The daily life of the Guro organizes around the secret associations and the beliefs in the protective spirits, Zuzu calls, to those who erect altars with figures. They have an artistic sense very pronouncing and grant a special importance to the hairdo, being considered the peluqueros like artists.


According to the legend, a hunter captured a day the Yu, or set of ritual masks and medicines that allowed its group to establish communication with the world of the forest. The Gu mask represents the feminine ideal (they are those that you can see in this page); The Gye and the Dye are the antelope and puercoespín; The Zamble is simultaneously antelope and panther (These masks are into the hands of people that tetentan a religious position, magical or political and they only leave in the great oscasiones, like the funeral of a notable or the enthronement of a head). The carved figures are little, but the Guro is famous by the supports of pulley of the instruments to weave. These stirrups also are between their neighbors Dan, the Baulé, the Senufo and the Yauré.





Other african ethnic groups available: BAMBARA , BANTU , ZULU , CHOKWE , BEREBER , MOSSI , FANG , DAN , BAMILEKE , DOGON , SONGYE , PENDE , BAULE , KUBA , SUKU , SENUFO , LUBA , BWA , GURO , BAMUN

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