This wooden sculpture might be the representation of the Senufo goddess Kalieleo. She is the female counterpart of Koulo Tiolo, the Creator who was thought to be asleep, and thus was never depicted in sculptural form. However, the representations of Kalieleo are quite widespread in the art of the Senufo. She was the guardian mother of the village, protector of the Poro, a secret society of males responsible with passing on the sacred knowledge of the physical and spiritual world. She can be represented alone or giving the breast to a child. In this sculpture, she holds a small infant in her lap who eagerly suckles at her full, elongated breasts. She sits upon a stool that is a traditional symbol of authority throughout Africa. She wears various armbands that are symbolic of her wealth and beauty. Her hair has been braided into an elaborate coiffure featuring a high central crest and two horn-like braids that fall from either side of her head as well as two that fall over her forehead. These protrusions over her forehead might be related to the beak of the hornbill, a mythological symbol of sexuality and intelligence. Clearly this statue represents a woman of importance and majesty, regardless if she is a goddess or not. She has elegant jewelry, scars which were considered marks of beauty, and most importantly a child, all indications of her high rank and fecundity. Whether or not this woman is the goddess Kalieleo can be questioned; however, one cannot doubt the significance of this sculpture as a symbol of beauty and fertility.