Female figure "deble", "doogele" or "poro piibele" ·  Côte d'Ivoire, Senufo · ID: 3053459

Description

wood,

The social, economic and spiritual lives of the Senufo are governed by an overarching initiation society known as the “poro”.

Traditional figures and masks play an important role in the “poro” society. Figures like the present one are called “poro piibele”, “children of poro”. They always appear in pairs and were meant to represent the ideal Senufo woman and the ideal Senufo man, and were often described as representing the mythical ancestral couple.

During funeral ceremonies, the figures are pounded on the ground in unison with the drums and horns. This is to drive away evil spirits, thus creating a smooth and safe passage for the deceased’s spirit into the land of the ancestors. This developed into the term “rhythm pounder” in Western literature.

When not in use, the figures stood near the “kpaala” or they were kept in the sacred grove (“sinzanga”) outside the village.

Comparing literature

Gottschalk, Burkhard, Senufo - Unbekannte Schätze aus privaten Sammlungen, Düsseldorf 2009, p. 194