the spirits come to reside permanently in the ones
possessed.
Annette M. GilzeneSeealsoAncestors; God
Further Readings
Chevannes, B. (1994).Rastafari:Roots and Ideology.
Syracuse, NY: Syracuse University Press.
Sherlock, P., & Bennett, H. (1998).The Story of the
Jamaican People. Kingston, Jamaica: Ian Randle
Publishers.
PORO SOCIETY
Hale is defined as a religiolegal institution, a
sodality, a secret society. In West African societies,
there are two great hale:Porofor men andSande
for women. The societies exist to serve the needs
of the community, but only initiated Poro and
Sande members are permitted to attend the secret
ceremonies.
Ntu is a complex philosophical concept in
African societies. From a ntulogical platform,
there is no real distinction between sacred and sec-
ular; hence, theology, politics, social theory, land
law, medicine, psychology, birth, and burial are all
logically concatenated in a system so tight that to
subtract one item is to paralyze the structure of
the whole. Hence, members of Poro societies are
concerned with all aspects of social life, which
include the individual, family, community, and
society. They are responsible for religious tradi-
tions and ceremonies. Maintaining social order is
another responsibility of Poro. In addition, they
are responsible for carrying out the ancestral
customs and lineage.
Traditionally, initiation (social education) was
aimed at teaching skills toward adulthood and
productivity. Mu bere or ko ni ipilefe is the
Yoruba word for initiation, and it implies being
physically and mentally immersed and then
cemented or bonded together. Young males ages 7
to 12 make up the first age set, and males
between ages 12 and 18 make up the second age
set for themu bere(initiation) experience. An age
set is a social grouping of individuals of the same
sex and age. There may be as many as 99 phases
of the initiation process, but it begins with the
child’s grade of discovery. The initiation process
takes several years. In keeping with tradition, the
educational institution of Poro initiation is
designed to transform children into adults and to
develop leadership and productivity skills.
Ubuntuis a concept that defines a reciprocal
relationship between the ancestors and the living.
In the grade of discovery, the young initiates
deepen their knowledge of ubuntu and how their
ancestors founded their village and established a
settled way of life for themselves and their descen-
dants. Initiates are also introduced to various
rituals and masks. Masks include the helmet, cere-
monial, communication, and judgment. Other
sacred objects associated with the initiate’s ances-
tors and the meaning of each are also introduced
during this phase. Upon the completion of this
grade, which takes several weeks, young initiates
are considered adults and members of Poro. As
they progress from one class to another, initiates
learn agricultural skills, ceremonial use of herbs,
and laws. The culmination of a class is celebrated
by a ritual. The final phase of the initiatory process
takes place in the sacred wood or forest.
In their workThe Dances of Africa, Michael
Huet and Claude Savary explain the initiatory
phases of the Senufo of the Ivory Coast
(Sinematyali, Korbogo, and Bundyali regions). The
first phase is the junior class (plaga,plawo,nyara)
or Poro for children between 7 and 12 years of age.
The second age group (tyenungo, nayogo,
kwonro) is for boys between 12 and 18 years of
age, which proceeds from the initiatory phase of
the sacred wood (tyologo) and completes the
young men’s training after age 18. When the ini-
tiates return from the sacred wood, their initiation
is complete. Then public ceremonies, tantamount
to modern-day graduation, take place.Willie Cannon-BrownSeealsoInitiation; MendeFurther Readings
Boone, S. (1986).Radiance From the Waters:Ideals of
Feminine Beauty in Mende Art. New Haven, CT: Yale
University Press.532 Poro Society