Poro
Encyclopedia
The Poro, or Purrah or Purroh, is a secret society
of Sierra Leone
and Liberia
.
, the first of which is nominally reserved for females, but members of the Poro are admitted to certain ceremonies. All the female members of the Yassi must be also members of the Bundu, which is strictly reserved to women.
Of the three, the Poro is by far the most important. The entire native population is governed by its code of laws. It primarily represents a type of fraternal society to which even infants are temporarily admitted, the ceremony in their case consisting merely of carrying them into the Poro bush and out again. But there are also religious and civil aspects of the Poro. Under the former, boys join it at puberty, while under the latter it is practically the native governing body, making laws, deciding on war and peace, etc. In Liberia, the female equivalent of the Poro is the Sande society
.
ing and symbols, but details are scarce, due to an oath of secrecy. It meets usually in the dry season, between the months of October and May. The rendezvous is in the bush, at an enclosure, separated into apartments by mats and roofed only by the overhanging trees, serving as a club-house. There are three grades, the first for chiefs and big men, the second for fetish-priests and the third for the crowd. The ceremonies of the Purrah are presided over by the Poro devil, a man in fetish dress, who addresses the meeting through a long tube of wood.
The Poro can place its taboo
on anything or anybody; and as no native would venture to defy its order, much trouble has been caused where the taboo has been laid upon crops. In 1897 the British local government was compelled to pass a special ordinance absolutely forbidding the imposition of the taboo on all indigenous products. Of the affiliated societies the Yassi appears to some extent to be an association for providing men and women, who believe themselves ill through fetish, with medical treatment, on payment of certain fees. The women's Bundu is in many ways a replica of the men's Poro, though without political power.
"The ceremonies of the Purrah are presided over by the Poro devil, a man in fetish dress, who addresses the meeting through a long tube of wood,known as a bull-roarer(voice distorter which delivers a bloodcurdling stream of sounds,and is madefrom a tube with holes cut into it over which discs of membrane from the egg sags of a pirticular spider are spead over)" Liberian Poro is little different when it comes to ceremonies. A ceremony with women, children and non-members part-taking, the Poro devil stays out. The Gbetoo is the only "fetish dressed up with long tube of wood" thing that you will see around. The poro devil is also invisible even to most members.
In 2009, rock-throwing Poro members protested attempts by Elizabeth Simbiwa Sogbo-Tortu
to become became the first female chief of the Niminyama chiefdom in eastern Sierra Leone.
Secret society
A secret society is a club or organization whose activities and inner functioning are concealed from non-members. The society may or may not attempt to conceal its existence. The term usually excludes covert groups, such as intelligence agencies or guerrilla insurgencies, which hide their...
of Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone , officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of and has an estimated population between 5.4 and 6.4...
and Liberia
Liberia
Liberia , officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Sierra Leone on the west, Guinea on the north and Côte d'Ivoire on the east. Liberia's coastline is composed of mostly mangrove forests while the more sparsely populated inland consists of forests that open...
.
Structure
Only males are admitted to its ranks, but two other affiliated and secret associations exist, the Yassi and the BunduSande society
Sande, also known as zadεgi, bundu, bundo and bondo, is a women's association found in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea that initiates girls into adulthood, confers fertility, instills notions of morality and proper sexual comportment, and maintains an interest in the well-being of its members...
, the first of which is nominally reserved for females, but members of the Poro are admitted to certain ceremonies. All the female members of the Yassi must be also members of the Bundu, which is strictly reserved to women.
Of the three, the Poro is by far the most important. The entire native population is governed by its code of laws. It primarily represents a type of fraternal society to which even infants are temporarily admitted, the ceremony in their case consisting merely of carrying them into the Poro bush and out again. But there are also religious and civil aspects of the Poro. Under the former, boys join it at puberty, while under the latter it is practically the native governing body, making laws, deciding on war and peace, etc. In Liberia, the female equivalent of the Poro is the Sande society
Sande society
Sande, also known as zadεgi, bundu, bundo and bondo, is a women's association found in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea that initiates girls into adulthood, confers fertility, instills notions of morality and proper sexual comportment, and maintains an interest in the well-being of its members...
.
Practices
The Poro has its special ritual and language, tattooTattoo
A tattoo is made by inserting indelible ink into the dermis layer of the skin to change the pigment. Tattoos on humans are a type of body modification, and tattoos on other animals are most commonly used for identification purposes...
ing and symbols, but details are scarce, due to an oath of secrecy. It meets usually in the dry season, between the months of October and May. The rendezvous is in the bush, at an enclosure, separated into apartments by mats and roofed only by the overhanging trees, serving as a club-house. There are three grades, the first for chiefs and big men, the second for fetish-priests and the third for the crowd. The ceremonies of the Purrah are presided over by the Poro devil, a man in fetish dress, who addresses the meeting through a long tube of wood.
The Poro can place its taboo
Taboo
A taboo is a strong social prohibition relating to any area of human activity or social custom that is sacred and or forbidden based on moral judgment, religious beliefs and or scientific consensus. Breaking the taboo is usually considered objectionable or abhorrent by society...
on anything or anybody; and as no native would venture to defy its order, much trouble has been caused where the taboo has been laid upon crops. In 1897 the British local government was compelled to pass a special ordinance absolutely forbidding the imposition of the taboo on all indigenous products. Of the affiliated societies the Yassi appears to some extent to be an association for providing men and women, who believe themselves ill through fetish, with medical treatment, on payment of certain fees. The women's Bundu is in many ways a replica of the men's Poro, though without political power.
"The ceremonies of the Purrah are presided over by the Poro devil, a man in fetish dress, who addresses the meeting through a long tube of wood,known as a bull-roarer(voice distorter which delivers a bloodcurdling stream of sounds,and is madefrom a tube with holes cut into it over which discs of membrane from the egg sags of a pirticular spider are spead over)" Liberian Poro is little different when it comes to ceremonies. A ceremony with women, children and non-members part-taking, the Poro devil stays out. The Gbetoo is the only "fetish dressed up with long tube of wood" thing that you will see around. The poro devil is also invisible even to most members.
In 2009, rock-throwing Poro members protested attempts by Elizabeth Simbiwa Sogbo-Tortu
Elizabeth Simbiwa Sogbo-Tortu
Elizabeth Simbiwa Sogbo-Tortu is a Sierra Leonean woman who was the subject of controversy after her 2009 bid to become a traditional chief was rejected because of her gender. Sogbo-Tortu's father and grandfather were the heads of the Niminyama chiefdom...
to become became the first female chief of the Niminyama chiefdom in eastern Sierra Leone.