The Hornbill ‘Calao’ bird to the initiates of the Poro society is known as the ‘porpianong’ or "child of the Poro '' and were kept in a sacred grove where rites took place. According to their creation myth, it was one of the first animals on earth, together with the snake, chameleon, tortoise & crocodile. The hornbill was the first animal to be killed for food. Hornbills mate for life.
The long beak symbolizes the sexual organ and the bulbous belly, a pregnant woman. Being a creature of both heaven and earth, the bird is a link to their ancestors.The Senufo believed that the hornbill bird (Kalao) was one of the first living things to symbolize intellectual power and significant knowledge.
