Cote d'Ivoire, Senufo people
Description
Female figure: Poro Rhythm Pounder
n.d.
Wood, carved
39 1/2 h. x 5" dia. OVERALL
Elongated carved wood female figure reflecting self-control and containment, ideal behaviors and attributes of inner beauty rather than physical appearance. Paired female and male rhythm pounders were principally used during funerals. As the corpse 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, the Celibele, who make a living as rope makers and tanners.
Date
n.d.
Creator
Cote d'Ivoire, Senufo people
Source
Gift of Dr. Fima and Jere Lifshitz
Identifier
2020.003.026
Collection
Citation
Cote d'Ivoire, Senufo people, “Cote d'Ivoire, Senufo people,” UCSB ADA Museum Omeka, accessed April 24, 2024, http://art-collections.museum.ucsb.edu/items/show/16576.