So. today I decided to go and dig up some ancient texts from the library to use as a resource. The ancient text I'm referring to is known as an encyclopedia. A long, long time ago (not in a galaxy far away) before computers and the internet were available to dump information on us without much actual research there were these books that were compendiums of knowledge known as encyclopedias. They were the internet before the internet happened.
Today I pulled out one of my favorite encyclopedias, the Encyclopedia of Cultures and Daily Life, and opened to a random page and so I'm going to give a brief account of Ivoirians.
Ivoirians (ih-VWAHR-ee-uhns) are the people of the country
Côte d'Ivoire. also known as the Ivory Coast, a smaller square shaped country in West Africa. The population there is at 20.6 million today and they speak over 60 different ethnic languages. French is the official language there and the official religions there are Islam and Christianity but there is a lot of local ethnic beliefs that intertwine with them.
The country received first contact from the Portuguese and the French established a colony there in 1893. It was named the ivory coast because of the ivory trade that flourished there but by the end of the 19th century the country was almost completely devoid of its elephant population.
The over 60 languages all belong to the Niger-Congo family and interestingly no one language (except French) is spoken by more than 23% of the country. Meaning French is the best means of communication between different groups in the country. Some of the more popular languages include: Akan, Mande', Gur (Voltaic), Kru, Dioula (the most widely spoken), Baoule', and Senoufo (Voltaic). With the wide variety of ethnic groups and languages in the country a wide variety of folklore and legends also will be found. "One of the most famous legends tell the story of how the Baoule people arrived in Côte d'Ivoire" (Gall 1998: 227). In their homeland of Ghana (bordering on the east) they held storage houses of grain but were attacked by other groups and were caught in famine. "Their queen, Abla Pokou, led her people to west into Côte d'Ivoire. Finding it impossible to cross the Comoe' river, the queen sacrificed her own child to the genies of the river, they in turn, in recognition of the gift, caused the trees to bend and form a bridge to a land of peace and safety" (Gall 1998: 227). Their name, Baoule', means "the little one dies".
It is really hard to talk about this country as a whole in a very cultural way because it is a lot like looking through a kaleidoscope there are many very different ethnic groups and so things like rites of passage, living conditions and family life would be very varied throughout the country. One overarching universal for the country is a definite male dominated society although politically they have been ruled by both kings and queens in their history and now have presidents but none as of yet have been female.
They have three official recognized dances: "the royal dance performed only by a king or tribal chief, the fetish dance performed by male initiates who have undergone initiation rites in the sacred forest, and the popular dance open to all including women" (Gall 1998: 228). The people of the Ivory Coast are expert weavers, woodworkers and sculptors and the Baoule' people are well known for making very intricately designed items. They are very specialized at making wood ceremonial masks for their dances and for other rituals. Many times these masks represent evil spirits such as a kplekple, which represents a horned beast and their most famous mask is the "fire-spitter" helmet mask.
There are a great many social concerns but most of them stem from a growing poverty level due to rapid increase in population and urbanization. They had a 2nd Civil War is 2011 that ended quickly but was a reaction to the results of the presidential election that year. They also have one of the highest occurrences of HIV/AIDS outbreak on that continent.
Here is something to try at home! A recipe for one of their popular dishes, Yassa.
http://www.congocookbook.com/chicken_recipes/poulet_yassa.html
References:
Worldmark. 1998. "Ivoirians". Encyclopedia of Cultures and Daily Life. ed. Timothy L. Gall. vol. 1: (226-230). Detroit: Gale Research.
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