Wealthy and powerful individuals in the northern Senufo region commissioned carved doors as symbols of prestige. The relief-carved motifs are associated with the beliefs in the powers of divination, nature spirits and the supernatural held by members of Poro, the men's initiation society that is found among a number of groups in western Africa.

The design on the large central panel is adapted from a scarification pattern adorning a woman's navel. To the Senufo, this symbol evokes social order as ordained by God. The top panel includes two face masks similar to those owned and used by the men's and women's initiation societies. They are, at times, also performed for entertainment.

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