In the Senufo culture, this song is the literary expression of one of the rules of hospitality shared by the different population groups of Mali. This rule dictates that the visitor must drink the water offered to him upon his arrival, even when he is not thirsty. For the Senufo, not to drink this water is an affront to tradition more than serious enough to justify the refusal to give to Zié in marriage the girl whom he had come to get engaged to, the first step towards tying the marriage knot. This song is sung by the women as they grind the millet with a millstone, or when they dance with their babies to amuse them.