Côte d’Ivoire, Mali, and Burkina Faso
Senufo

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

This male 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 male.  During funerals and commemorative ceremonies for distinguished association members, male figures like this one stood with female companions evoking a primordial couple. Sculptural pairs honored the deceased as they entered the society of ancestral spirits and recalled their lineage extending back to their earliest ancestors. On these occasions, poro members displayed pombibele figures in architectural settings or tapped them on the ground to the rhythm of drums in a procession.

Source:  www.metmuseum.org