Poro Society Mask of the Senufo: What It Was For and Why It Matters
Senufo | Côte d'Ivoire and Mali and Burkina Faso | Governance / Education
What was it for?
A general category covering the many mask types controlled by Poro, the Senufo men's initiation institution. Poro is responsible for transmitting history, genealogy and knowledge, and it shapes education, initiation and the community's relationship with the spirit world.
What does it look like?
Varies widely depending on specific function, from small refined face masks to large composite helmet masks. What unites Poro masks is quality of execution. The Senufo do not make careless sacred objects, and each mask is made to suit the task it must perform.
Why does it matter?
Poro is not a secret society in the sense of a thriller novel. It is a school, a court and a religious institution at once. Its masks are the instruments through which these functions are carried out in public, at funerals, initiations and other important events.
One thing most people never know
Women have their own institution, the Sandogo society, which is responsible for divination and looks after different but equally important aspects of Senufo spiritual life. The two systems interact in ways that scholars are still documenting.
Further reading: the source record for this entry.
This entry is part of the SEVICS Africa archive of 100 African masks. If you own a mask like this and want to know more about it, try our Mask Identifier.
