They were used to conduct the most serious transactions. Land and cows were bought, wives were paid for, and inheritances were transferred.

It probably depicts a hornbill, although I cannot completely rule out the possibility of it being a guinea fowl, for example. However, given how popular hornbills are in African tribal art, I would argue that this bird was the inspiration for the sculpture.

One of the most popular Senufo masks is Kpelie, which translates as "the face of a jumping performer." The prototype for Senufo masks is the face of a beautiful woman, because in the Senufo religion, the central figure is a female ancestral spirit, an ancient mother from whom the world began.

He is a muscular, stocky man standing on bent legs (as if ready to jump). His head is adorned with a powerful hairstyle, a kind of royal crown.