Biriyo Ferenando belongs to the Marunga totem of the Chikunda tribe of Mozambique. In the early sixties, he came to Zimbabwe in search of employment and found work on a farm. By 1971, he made a move to Tengenenge and began training in sculpting by 1975. First generation sculptor Bernard Matemera encouraged and inspired him to continue a career in sculpting. Today, after a long career as an artist, Biriyo mostly sculpts abstracted animals and figures in a variety of locally sourced stone. He is happily married and living in Tengenenge and two of his six children have become sculptors.