Senufo Sculpture and the Poro Society: How to Appreciate It, and How to Respect It

From the north of Côte d'Ivoire (in West Africa, French-speaking, the world's largest cocoa producer), Senufo sculpture is among the African art most often collected by Western museums, and most often imitated. It inspired early twentieth-century modernist painters, yet for the communities that create and use these works, they belong first and foremost to a system for transmitting knowledge and social order. Understanding this means you will see more than just "form" when you look at them.

Who are the "Senufo"? A name under constant review

According to an essay by The Metropolitan Museum of Art (The Met), the name Senufo began to be used by French observers in the late nineteenth century, referring both to a cultural group and to a set of languages spoken across Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Mali and western Ghana. The main area where Senufo communities produce and use sculpture is northern Côte d'Ivoire, but mask-making in fact spans today's national and linguistic boundaries.

"Senufo: Art and Identity in West Africa", a major exhibition organised by the Cleveland Museum of Art in 2015, showed nearly 170 works and deliberately questioned the practice of labelling works with a single ethnic name, arguing for a return to each object's own history. When you see the word "Senufo" in a museum, read it as a convenient category rather than a clear-cut boundary.

Poro: only what is public

Research by The Met points out that Poro (also called lô) has often been described by outsiders as an age-graded initiation organisation common to all Senufo communities, but this "universal uniformity" was in fact built mainly on observations from northern Côte d'Ivoire; whether communities support Poro has varied, in the past and today. The generally public account is this: boys complete their initiation in stages, learning the knowledge needed for adulthood in secluded sacred groves; through Poro they cross family lines and learn respect for elders. Poro is also responsible for passing on history and genealogy.

Some communities forbid the uninitiated from viewing Poro artworks. That is precisely why this article does not describe ritual details: for outsiders, knowing that "some things do not belong to the public sphere" is itself part of understanding.

Common object types in museums

A rhythm pounder in the Brooklyn Museum's collection shows marked wear on both arms, evidence of repeated use. Traces of use like these often say more about a work's life than a flawless surface.

A sense of measure when admiring and collecting

• Look at the maker and the region, not just the "ethnic name": many works entered collections with no record of the artist's name, but museum research is working to restore their regional and workshop context.
• Be extra cautious with large bird carvings on the market: The Met notes that these large birds were originally rather rare, yet reproductions now appear in great numbers in tourist markets.
• Don't press questions or photograph what you shouldn't see: if you come across occasions closed to outsiders locally, simply respect your hosts' boundaries.

One line for Asian readers

Appreciating Senufo sculpture can begin with the beauty of its forms, but remember that the community behind it still decides what may be seen; knowing to stop short of that line is what true taste looks like.

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References: The Met — Senufo Arts and Poro Initiation in Northern Côte d'Ivoire; The Met — Senufo Sculpture from West Africa (1963 exhibition); Saint Louis Art Museum — Senufo: Art and Identity in West Africa; Brooklyn Museum — Rhythm Pounder (Siibele)