"It is impossible to fully appreciate certain West African material art objects without first understanding the Poro men's secret society, by whom and for whom they were made, and in whose rituals they were used.""Because of the extraordinary secrecy surrounding Poro rituals, Western observers have traditionally uncovered very little useful information, with the expected resulting confusion in the literature. Conversely, the deeper one's understanding of Poro material art, the greater will be the understanding of the structure and functions of the Poro society, its traditions and rituals. This manuscript seeks to complete the circle by first giving some insight into the Poro, which will then enable a better understanding of some selected art objects, which in turn can then be used to explain the Poro. Specifically, this work describes the roles that various metals play in communicating the grade levels to which certain sculptures belong." -- Neil Carey
Included in this monumental work are detailed insights into sacred Poro masks, figures and artifacts from the Dan, Mano, Kono, Kpelle, Belle, Kissi, Loma, Gbandi, Kran, Grebo, Bete and neighboring ethnic groups from Liberia, Guinea, Sierra Leone and Cote d'Ivoire. The results of over ten years of research, this important book ranks alongside the seminal works of Dr. George Harley and George Schwab, and is destined to become a classic. Not only does it include full-color plates and detailed descriptions of the forms and functions of more than 100 important objects of Poro art, it includes the results of extensive metallurgical analyses of these objects. This is an essential manuscript for anthropologists, ethnographers, art historians, and collectors.
Publication date: August 17, 2010
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About the Authors
Dr. Neil Carey is an Independent Scholar and Africanist,who has been doing field work in Africa since 1987. For over a decade he has specialized in the Poro groups of the Guinea Coast of West Africa, with special interest in their material art and ethnotoxicology. He is the author of several books and papers on the art and culture of the Poro.
M. S. Aboudoulaye is an initiate of the Poro Society of the Mano people in northeast Liberia. Having trained under his mentor Talibi Kaba (who worked for years with Dr. George Harley), he assisted Liberian museums and well-known American and German ethnographers. Mr. Aboudoulaye is indeed a walking encyclopedia of Poro, having a broad first-hand knowledge of Poro rituals in Sierra Leone, Guinea, Liberia and Ivory Coast. His association with Neil Carey began in 1998.
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