Famous traditional african mouse oracle box in Baule culture. The boxes such as this were used for divination. To the inside would have been a device composed of sticks that recorded the movement of mice as a means to reveal insights into important matters related to the tribe. According to baule religion mice could once speak until they were taken from the world of the spirits by mankind. The ability of the mouse to burrow into the earth was seen as a means of them accessing the spiritual world and thus hidden knowledge. The art of divination associated with these boxes takes many years to master. The figures to the front of the boxes have been interpreted as ancestor figures. Large wooden box from Baule people with domed lid and body; the lid engraved with a series of geometric lines, the body with rectangular panels consisting of numerous squares, carved animal heads between. The box resting on a series of small rectangular feet. Origin : private collection, Holland. Dating : 1980-1990.