The compounds usually adjoin to form compact villages. In general, the dwellings are round with mud walls and cone-shaped, thatched roofs. However, many local variations exist. In the Boin community, men hunt, fish, clear the land, and tend the cattle. The women do the gathering and help some in the agricultural work.
Chiefs exercise political authority in the villages.
Succession usually passes to the next brother or to the oldest son of the deceased chief's oldest sister. Circumcision of males is practiced among the Boin, and some female circumcision is also continued. The Boin tolerate premarital sexual freedom for girls and prefer cousins as marriage partners. In such cases, however, each wife has her own hut, and the husband spends a fixed period with each on a rotation basis. The mineral wealth of Guinea makes the economy of the country potentially one of the strongest in Africa.