The Senufo, about 1 million in number, live mostly in Cote d'Ivoire, but also in Ghana, Burkina Faso and the extreme south of Mali. They are concentrated in villages composed of 800 to 1200 inhabitants, broken up into units of matrilineal lineage descending from a common ancestor. Endogamy within the lineage was forbidden and punishable by death. The Senufo produce a rich variety of sculptures, mainly associated with the Porosociety, to which adult men belong and which maintains the continuity of religious and historical traditions, especially through the cult of the ancestors. They have a vital masquerading tradition associated with various male societies, includingPoro. Pounders made from a single piece of wood on a circular base are used to provide the rhythm for a dance in the Lo society. Such implements are also used to invoke the spirits of the ancestors, especially at agricultural ceremonies. Such figures are pounded against the ground in time to the music.
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