Oral tradition says that the Baule kingdom was founded at the beginning of the Ist century by an Ashanti Queen mother, Auro Poku, who fled her country with a large number of followers.The Baule are an Akan speaking people who combine naturalistic and abstract styles in their art.

The Goli masks are zoomorphic, with disc-like face, powerful round eyes, heart shaped sockets and rectangular mouths . The disc-like face is surmounted by horns. Another Goli mask comes in the form of a helmet with two discs, an animal mouth and horns. All Goli masks are abstracts of the buffalo. They are said to be in the service of the sky god, Nyame.

Baule figures have serenity, dignity and beauty. They do not represent ancestors; their function is to accommodate the dangerous spirits of nature.