A Baule "Justice" sculpture collected in Beomi region, Ivory Coast, seated with her hands behind her back. Dark wood; signs of ritual use and age. Baule justice sculptures, often referred to in academic literature as waka sran or waka akatya, are carved wooden figures used by Baule diviners to resolve disputes and restore social harmony. These figures are not merely decorative but are instrumental in judicial procedures conducted within the traditional Baule legal system, particularly in contexts where supernatural causes are suspected to underlie social conflicts or personal misfortunes. The Baule, part of the Akan-speaking peoples of Côte d’Ivoire, have developed a highly sophisticated sculptural tradition. Their justice sculptures typically depict a standing human figure, male or female, carved with idealized features. These include a proportionate body, smooth surfaces, and an overall aesthetic of serenity and dignity. The figures usually stand with their arms at their sides, sometimes with one hand resting on the abdomen or chest, and display a sense of poised composure. Facial features are delicately rendered: the eyes are often downcast or half-closed, suggesting introspection or spiritual receptivity. Hairstyles, scarification marks, and ornamentation reflect real Baule cultural aesthetics and ideals of beauty. The function of these sculptures is tied to divination practices known as komien, conducted by specialist diviners called komienfwe. During these sessions, the figure acts as a conduit for spirit communication. The diviner, through trance or consultation with a spiritual entity, channels answers or judgments regarding disputes, illnesses, thefts, or accusations of wrongdoing. The figure itself does not embody a spirit, as is the case with blolo bla and blolo bian spirit spouse figures, but serves instead as a ritually potent object that facilitates truth-telling and decision-making. These sculptures may be kept in a diviner’s kit or shrine and are activated through offerings, prayers, and ritual manipulation. Their presence during a judicial session lends authority and a sense of the sacred to the proceedings. The figures function within a broader spiritual and moral economy where justice is understood not only as a social matter but as one involving ancestral oversight and spiritual balance. Stylistically, Baule justice sculptures share characteristics with other forms of Baule figural carving, including portrait masks and spirit spouse figures. However, they are often more restrained in ornamentation and slightly smaller in scale. The emphasis is on clarity, symmetry, and refinement of form, which aligns with Baule aesthetic values that associate beauty with moral rectitude and spiritual efficacy. In colonial and postcolonial contexts, the function of these sculptures has evolved. While the traditional judicial role of waka sran has diminished in many Baule communities due to the expansion of formal legal systems and religious change, the figures have gained new significance in global art markets and museum collections. Their judicial function, often overlooked or misunderstood by early collectors, is now increasingly acknowledged through ethnographic and art historical scholarship. Baule justice sculptures remain vital sources for understanding the intersection of aesthetics, law, and spirituality in West African societies. They demonstrate how visual art functions not only as a reflection of cultural values but as an active agent in social governance. References: Vogel, Susan Mullin. Baule: African Art, Western Eyes. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1997. Bohannan, Paul, and Laura Bohannan. The Tiv of Central Nigeria. Garden City, NY: Natural History Press, 1969. Zahan, Dominique. The Religion, Spirituality, and Thought of Traditional Africa. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1979. Fischer, Eberhard, and Lorenz Homberger. Baule: African Art in Daily Life. Zürich: Museum Rietberg, 1998. Cole, Herbert M., and Chike C. Aniakor. Igbo Arts: Community and Cosmos. Los Angeles: Museum of Cultural History, UCLA, 1984.