The Bridge of the Spirits (part 4)

Senufo villages tend to be large compared to those of other groups in the Ivory Coast. They are made up of groupings of different clans and lineages, which form what we would call districts. In each one of them there is a fetish house, where they keep their masks and religious carvings.

Women are very important in Senufo society. Their power is comparable to that of the men, though less evident. The system of transmission of culture and tradition is matrilineal, which makes the woman the head of the lineage. Even in the Poro, women occupy an extremely important place. For example, they play a vital part in the founding of a new Sinzanga, or Poro school, the head of which will be chosen by matrilineal line.

Dogs are also very important for the Senufo, especially hunting dogs, like these, on which they place a liana collar, to protect them from possible attacks by vermin in the forest. On important occasions, as a substitute for the human sacrifices of the past, dogs' throats are cut, and they are offered to the Poro deities in the fetish houses.

The Senufo also have one of the richest craft traditions in Africa. On their looms they continue to weave cloth as they have always done. The technique of these artisans has remained entirely unchanged. Every day, they weave long strips of cloth, which will later be joined together to make cotton canopies, for a number of different uses.

Senufo painting is also among the most widely recognised in Africa. Picasso came here, seeking inspiration for cubism, from these artists who expression the visions of the hunters, or the deities of the Poro.