Mende helmet mask, "Bundu" or "Sowei" mask, Sande society, Sierra Leone and Liberia
Believed to be from the workshop of a sculptor named Manowulo, active in the 1940s. See Ruth Phillips, "Representing Woman," page 171, for a
description of the "Manowulo" workshop style, which fits the piece quite well.
15" tall x 8" wide
Provenance: J. Monroe collection, US
There is a crack in the back of the mask that appears to be stable.
A couple things of note about this mask: The mask is undoubtedly a beautiful mask that was carved with great care and attention to detail. Mende
masks are often made of light wood with very thin inside walls, but this is not always the case. This beautifully crafted mask is made of a heavier
wood and the inside walls are thicker than are found on most masks of this type. I would be happy to engage in any questions people may have
about this mask.
SOLD
"In sub-Saharan Africa only men are normally permitted on ritual occasions to wear wooden masks. This black helmet mask is worn exclusively by
women. The practice of women wearing masks seems to have been brought to several populations of Sierra Leone and Liberia, such as the
Temne, Gola and Vai, by the Mende and Mande-speaking people from the northern savanna. Because of the similarity of mask styles and the
itinerant pathways of noted carvers, it is difficult to assign some masks to a particular ethnic group.
In the 19th century the Mende were organized into independent chiefdoms; families and individuals were ranked according to their land-use
rights. Industrious rice farmers, the Mende number approximately two million people. The rituals of their women's society, called Sande, require
the appearance of masked figures. Within such a large population there are many variations in local practices and carving styles, but there is
broad agreement on the nature of the mask itself.
The mask presents an ideal of feminine beauty admired by the Mende: elaborate hairstyle, full forehead and small facial features. The gleaming
surface signifies healthy, glowing skin. The swelling fleshy rolls alternating with deep incised lines at the neck or back of the head are considered
marks of beauty and a promise of fecundity. The neck is broad to fit over the head of the woman who will wear it. Sande officials commission male
carvers to produce the mask in secret. The surface is smoothed with the rough leaves of the ficus tree, then dyed black with a concoction made
of leaves. Before use, it is anointed with palm oil to make it shine. (Modern carvers use black shoe polish.)
With this confining mask, the wearer (who has to be a good dancer and an official of the Sande) puts on a thick cotton costume covered with
heavy fibre strands dyed black. Her dances may last for over two hours. The sacredness of the mask lies in its deeper meaning as a
representation of the long deceased founder of Sande society. In pre-colonial times women could hold the position of chief of a village cluster;
until the 1970s women politicians continued to use the Sande society to support and further their careers in modern government. With
increasingly rigorous Islamisation, however, the Sande society is being seriously modified or even disbanded.
The costume worn with the black mask is made of layers of raffia fibers that have also been dyed black. These are attached to the lower portion
of the neck as well as to a black cloth shirt or gown worn over the body. The sleeves are sewn shut, and long stockings or men's shoes are worn.
No part of the body is left exposed, for revealing the body would expose the human agency behind the mask to the eyes of nonmembers, and
would also allow the spirit to enter the human dancer rather than the mask.
Masked dancing provides a festive mood appropriate to the completion of the several stages of initiation. Masks are seen in public at several key
moments during the process. Their appearances serve to announce to families of initiates that certain stages have been successfully
accomplished and that preparation of foods and gifts of money must be completed. A mask may collect food from the community to take back to
where initiation is taking place. She comes into the community to announce the imminent coming out of the girls, and she leads them into town on
their first visit after the process has started. Finally, she leads the richly dressed girls into town when they have completed their training and are
released. This is the high point of the entire process, for the girls are now recognized as marriageable, adult women.
The mask may appear at other times to bring justice to offenders of Sande law, to perform in respect at the funeral of an important leader of the
society, and to participate in ceremonies in which a new mask is initiated into the work of Sande. Nowö is accepted as a living presence. The spirit
speaks not through words but through the language of dance, referring to moral and social doctrines of beauty, serenity, dignity, control, order,
and balance. Dance movements exaggerate the powers of ordinary women and dramatize the ideals of feminine beauty."
Excerpt above from: Poynor, Robin. 1995. African Art at the Harn Museum: Spirit Eyes, Human Hands. pp. 185-191.
Additional examples and information can be found at: http://www.randafricanart.com/Mende_mask.html
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