Côte d’Ivoire, Mali, and Burkina Faso
Senufo

Wood
Mid 20th Century
Length: 54 in
Idiophone – Struck Directly – Pounders (Pombibele)

This female poro figure was commissioned by the Senufo poro association.  The poro association is for men whose purpose is the continuity of religious and historical traditions. Known as pombia (plural: pombibele), or ‘children of poro’, this figure was carved by a master sculptor showing an idealized female. Although poro is essentially a male institution, the most important ancestor invoked is a woman, the head of the poro chapter’s founding matrilineage. Thus, Senufo artists often rendered female representations.

Paired female and male rhythm pounders were principally used during funerals. As the deceased was carried to the burial ground, elders would pound on the ground with the figures, ritually purifying the pathway for the deceased and calling ancestral spirits. Paired figures are emblems of marriage but may represent twins or primordial founding ancestors. Rhythm pounders are owned by a small subgroup of artisans.

Source:  www.metmuseum.org