revealed a fundamentally patriarchal society where women, in spite of their substantial participation in material production and important roles in social, political, and religious matter, remain essentially unequal to men. A 2016 study suggested that female status in Bijagos society was diminished during the slave trade era but has become more valued again in more recent times. In 2012, a study by Bissau-Guinean sociologist Boaventura Santy examined the social representations of the people of the island of Formosa Bijagó about possible threats from climate change. The study concluded that for "the Bijagó the natural and the social are inextricably linked, to the extent that a crisis in the social system would have negative effects" on the natural system. In particular, it was the lack of harmony between the community, ancestors and the supernatural world that was seen as causing environmental dissonance. Art The Bissagos peoples produce many artifacts for daily use and ritual following a traditional iconography that is unique to their culture, and shows variations from island to island. Among the most striking Bidyogo art pieces are the portable ancestor shrines ("iran") and the zoomorphic masks representing cows ("vaca-bruta"), sharks, stingrays and, occasionally, other local animals. Traditionally-decorated artifacts are also produced for "fanado" coming-of-age ceremonies (wood masks, spears, shields, headgear, bracelets), daily activities (fishing, agriculture) and personal use (stools, basketry, foodware). Its unique aesthetics make Bidyogo art easily distinctive from other African tribal arts. Notable people Benkos Biohó, Former African king who was shipped to Cartagena, Colombia during the slave trade but managed to escape and found the maroon village known as San Basilio de Palenque. See also List of islands of Guinea-Bissau João Vieira and Poilão Marine National Park References Sources "Bijagós Islands." Encyclopædia Britannica An article about the land and the people of Bijagós Archipelago TVEDTEN, Inge The Difficult Transition from Subsistence to Commercial Fishing. The Case of the Bijagbs of Guinea-Bissau. Pages 129 to 130 In VAN GINKEL, Rob and VERRIPS, Jojada (editors) MAST (Maritime Anthropological Studies) Vol. 3, No. 1 1990 Krips Repro, Meppel, The Netherlands. External links Saving Paradise: Bissagos Archipelago Matriarchy Ramsar sites in Guinea-Bissau Atlantic islands of Guinea-Bissau Freshwater ecoregions of Africa