Poro society
E581896
The Poro society is a traditional West African male secret society that plays a central role in social, political, and spiritual life, particularly among ethnic groups such as the Temne.
Observed surface forms (1)
| Surface form | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| Komo society | 1 |
Statements (48)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
male initiation society
ⓘ
secret society ⓘ traditional religious institution ⓘ |
| associatedWithEthnicGroup |
Gola people
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Kissi people NERFINISHED ⓘ Kpelle people NERFINISHED ⓘ Mende people NERFINISHED ⓘ Temne people NERFINISHED ⓘ Vai people NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| authorityStructure | hierarchical leadership ⓘ |
| counterpartGender | female ⓘ |
| country |
Guinea
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Ivory Coast NERFINISHED ⓘ Liberia ⓘ Sierra Leone NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| culturalRole |
organizes communal festivals
ⓘ
preserves oral traditions ⓘ transmits customary law ⓘ |
| educationalRole | initiates and educates boys into adulthood ⓘ |
| function |
confers adult male status
ⓘ
enforces community norms ⓘ maintains social order ⓘ settles disputes ⓘ |
| genderRestriction | male only ⓘ |
| hasCounterpart | Sande society NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| influence |
conflict resolution
ⓘ
local chieftaincy selection ⓘ |
| initiationSetting | bush schools ⓘ |
| leadershipTitle |
Poro chief
ⓘ
Poro elder ⓘ |
| membership | initiated adult men ⓘ |
| politicalRole | exerts political authority in local communities ⓘ |
| prohibition | non-initiates excluded from rituals ⓘ |
| region | West Africa ⓘ |
| religiousRole | regulates traditional religious practices ⓘ |
| religiousTradition | African traditional religion ⓘ |
| ritualPractice |
initiation rites
ⓘ
masking ceremonies ⓘ secret rituals in sacred groves ⓘ |
| secrecy | oaths of secrecy for members ⓘ |
| socialRole | regulates social life ⓘ |
| spiritualRole | mediates between humans and spirits ⓘ |
| teaches |
gender roles
ⓘ
history and traditions ⓘ moral codes ⓘ survival skills ⓘ |
| usesSpace | sacred forest groves ⓘ |
| usesSymbol | sacred masks ⓘ |
Referenced by (5)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.
this entity surface form:
Komo society