MENDE SOWEI MASK Helmet SANDE SOCIETY INITIATION CEREMONY, AFRICAN ART
Item History & Price
| Reference Number: Avaluer:47574 | Material: Wood |
| Maker: Mende Artisan - Africa | Original/Reproduction: Original |
An original carved wooden helmet style mask from the Mende peoples of Sierra Leone, West Africa. Used as part of the matriarchal masking tradition. The mask features traditional "neck rolls" representing wealth.
The mask measures 13.5 inches tall. Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns you might have. Also, if you are tired of bad shipping and misrepresented items, then you have come to the right seller. I carefu...lly package every product I sell. If you don't like the product I sent you and think it has been misrepresented in my listing, I will pay to have it shipped back to me as well as give a full refund. I will not give out partial refunds under any circumstances.Buyers Located In The State of Tennessee will be required to pay sales tax.
The Sande Society mask, is worn by Mende women of Sierra Leone. This type of mask is one of the few ritual masks worn by African women. The Sande, or Bundu, Society is a fellowship of women who are responsible for preparing young Mende girls for adulthood, and for their roles as wives, mothers and female community members. At the girls' initiation, which is still practiced into the twentieth century, a society member appears in full costume as Sowo, the water spirit of the Sande Society, and walks with the grace and elegance expected of Mende women. The costumed woman wears a black gown of raffia fibers that conceals her body, and the mask rests over her head on her shoulders. This dark mask "exalts the far-famed beauty of Mende women, " and represents the sculpted head of Sowo. The mask itself is a conical helmet that rests on top of the raffia costume, and is described by observers as "truly a glamorous being...the mask joins the community together in the experience of its beauty and allure." The artist, carefully chosen by the Society, carves the face with the attention a woman would give her own appearance. The mask's appearance exemplifies Mende women's physical and moral beauty and cannot fall short of the Mende ideal. The artist coats the mask with palm oil, which gives it the black, lustrous shine. The ideal Mende mask has clearly defined features created by delicate, dainty carving. The neck with its rings of flesh, the face, and the coiffure make up the three divisions of the mask."
The mask measures 13.5 inches tall. Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns you might have. Also, if you are tired of bad shipping and misrepresented items, then you have come to the right seller. I carefu...lly package every product I sell. If you don't like the product I sent you and think it has been misrepresented in my listing, I will pay to have it shipped back to me as well as give a full refund. I will not give out partial refunds under any circumstances.Buyers Located In The State of Tennessee will be required to pay sales tax.
The Sande Society mask, is worn by Mende women of Sierra Leone. This type of mask is one of the few ritual masks worn by African women. The Sande, or Bundu, Society is a fellowship of women who are responsible for preparing young Mende girls for adulthood, and for their roles as wives, mothers and female community members. At the girls' initiation, which is still practiced into the twentieth century, a society member appears in full costume as Sowo, the water spirit of the Sande Society, and walks with the grace and elegance expected of Mende women. The costumed woman wears a black gown of raffia fibers that conceals her body, and the mask rests over her head on her shoulders. This dark mask "exalts the far-famed beauty of Mende women, " and represents the sculpted head of Sowo. The mask itself is a conical helmet that rests on top of the raffia costume, and is described by observers as "truly a glamorous being...the mask joins the community together in the experience of its beauty and allure." The artist, carefully chosen by the Society, carves the face with the attention a woman would give her own appearance. The mask's appearance exemplifies Mende women's physical and moral beauty and cannot fall short of the Mende ideal. The artist coats the mask with palm oil, which gives it the black, lustrous shine. The ideal Mende mask has clearly defined features created by delicate, dainty carving. The neck with its rings of flesh, the face, and the coiffure make up the three divisions of the mask."
