Sénoufo altar statuette. Old piece over 40 years old.
Statuette of a female ancestor from the Sénoufo in the north of Ivory Coast.
Poro is an initiatory system practiced by the majority of populations established in the Guinean forests of West Africa, in Liberia, in Guinea and in the north of the Ivory Coast, also in Sierra Leone and in the south of Mali.
Among the Senufos of northern Ivory Coast, it requires a lot of time or even a lifetime. The Poro initiation takes place in three stages of 7 years. All young boys take part in the initiation from the age of 7 to the age of 28. The entire initiation stage takes place outside the village in the Sacred Wood. Young people periodically take retreats there for about a month. Women can be initiated at the first stage after which they are required to marry and are able to continue initiation after menopause.
According to the Senufo conception, the human being at birth is in a state of animosity and the Poro is given to him in order to make him move from the state of animosity to that of a man.
All Senufo cults worship Katyeleo a female divinity. The creator, Kolotyolo (God), withdrew far from men and entrusted Katyeleo with the management of the world.
There are 3 initiation cycles, each lasting 7 years.
Kouord takes place during the adolescent period. The initiate is then responsible for certain chores and learns certain essential words. He also learns the basics of community life and is led to make personal sacrifices. He must also practice craftsmanship by making costumes.
The Tcholo leads the initiate to philosophize about the meaning of life. During this stage, many secrets are revealed to him that he would not have been able to identify before, notably secrets about theology, philosophy and community life.
The Kaffono leads to supreme knowledge and accession to the closed circle of masked initiates.
The Poro also includes a more material teaching phase. Initiates are taught about the calendar of agricultural work, the various artisanal techniques, etc.
After the training, the future initiates are subjected to a test to determine the best among them. He will see himself as the leader of the generation. This exam is a set of questions on the knowledge acquired during time spent in the forest.