The Baoulé are one of Côte d'Ivoire's largest peoples. They belong to the Akan family, like the Asante of neighbouring Ghana, the Agni or the Sefwi. Their territory lies in the centre of the country, around Bouaké and Yamoussoukro, in the area known as the "V Baoulé". Estimates of their numbers vary widely by source, from three to five million people.
baoule.ciGo further: articles, infographics and resources on the Baoulé people →An Asante Origin
Oral tradition ties the Baoulé to the Asante kingdom in present-day Ghana. In the eighteenth century, as the empire founded by Osei Tutu I was rising, a dissident group is said to have set out westward under a woman, Abla Pokou. According to the accounts she was Osei Tutu I's niece and Dakon's sister; after Dakon lost a succession quarrel, she refused to submit to the new ruler, Opoku Ware, and left with many followers.
The exact dates are debated by historians: the story sits on the border between history and legend. For the Asante background see Asante Cousins and, on our sister site, ashanti.wiki.
Settling Between the Bandama and the N'Zi
After crossing the Komoé river, the group settled in savanna and open forest and founded a kingdom whose capital became Sakassou. Pokou's successors, notably Queen Akwa Boni, extended the territory by crossing the Bandama. The Baoulé subgroups gradually took shape — among them the Warébo (or Walèbo), the Ngban, the Sa, the Faafouè and the Nanafouè — each with its own chiefs and traditions.
A People of Farmers and Craftspeople
On their new lands the Baoulé built an agricultural life around the yam and cassava, alongside goldworking, weaving and sculpture (see Land, Gold & Trade and Art, Masks & Sculpture). In the twentieth century many turned to coffee and cocoa and migrated west and south-west to create plantations.