Senufo (Senufu, Senoufo)

The Senufo is a cluster of Gur-speaking people of Ivory Coast, Southern Mali and Burkina Faso. The population of Senufo is believed to be between 800 000 and 1 million people. Their villages with a population of around 100 inhabitants each are linked by Poro secret society and ruled over by a single male chief or group of elder people. The major part of activities of Senufo is related to farming and agriculture.
In Senufo society the right to be an artisan, such as woodcarvers, is acquired by the right of birth. Both men and women of Senufo have own secret societies - Poro and Sande respectively where they acquire knowledge of adulthood under guidance of elders.
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