The Kponyugu performer appears in ritual of the Poro association, especially at funerals. This mask is in the form of an animal head with large open mouth and spiked teeth, the flat horns of the buffalo, the huge jaw of the crocodile or warthog, the ears of the hyena, and, on top of the head, a chameleon. Each of these animals plays a role in the Senufo stories of the creation of the world. The owner of the mask may use it in conducting an initiation of elder men into the senior level. The masked dancers also may perform at the funeral of deceased male and female Poro members. As a corpse lies in the central plaza, wrapped in cloths, the masked dancers place their heavy double-faced drums directly on the torso of the cadaver lengthwise and beat their rhythms on the side of the drum facing the feet. This ritual is said to ensure that the "shadow" does not leave the body of the deceased through the head and that it finds the correct way to the village of the dead.