Poro

Poro is the men's initiation society across the Mande-influenced peoples of West Africa — most prominent among the Senufo, Mende, Kpelle, Toma, Kissi, Loma, Gola, and Bassa. Boys enter Poro in adolescence and pass through grades of esoteric education across years before they re-emerge as full adult men.

Masks danced by Poro include the Senufo kpelie and firespitter helmet types, the Mende-related bundu (where the female-society Sande operates a complementary lineage), and various register-specific masks for funerary duty.