MENDE - BUNDU - SOWEI HELMET MASK .
The Mende culture is primarily found in Sierra Leone,
Liberia, western Guinea and Mali. Secret societies
among the Mende are called Poro, which means "laws of
ancestor spirits, thereby imparting power to the Poro
from ancestor spirits. The Poro duties include settling
disputes, controlling fishing and harvesting, and
regulating the economy and trading. Other societies
within the Mende are responsible for military training,
agricultural fertility, general education, sexual conduct,
and medical and social services. The Mende women
belong to a secret society called Sande which is
primarily responsible for training young girls for the
adult roles they will soon encounter. Mende girls are
instructed in child care, homemaking, sexual matters
abed the proper attitude towards husbands and
authority. Mende boys are instructed in road
maintenance, clearing land for agriculture, bridge and
trap making, basketry and weaving, traditional law and
custom, and the art of enduring hardship and pain.
Secret societies dominate the lives of traditional West
Africans and serve to establish social, political,
economic, and artistic rules that solidify and unite the
culture.
The Sande society uses the word ''Sowei'' to represent
the personification of the society's spirit, medicine, and
the most important masked dancer. The Sowei is
present at initiation school, brings male offenders to
justice, and is the chief mourner at funerals foe Sande
officials. Sowei mask are kept in special enclosures
called Kende where the mask attendant keeps medicine
and masks..
The Mende culture is primarily found in Sierra Leone,
Liberia, western Guinea and Mali. Secret societies
among the Mende are called Poro, which means "laws of
ancestor spirits, thereby imparting power to the Poro
from ancestor spirits. The Poro duties include settling
disputes, controlling fishing and harvesting, and
regulating the economy and trading. Other societies
within the Mende are responsible for military training,
agricultural fertility, general education, sexual conduct,
and medical and social services. The Mende women
belong to a secret society called Sande which is
primarily responsible for training young girls for the
adult roles they will soon encounter. Mende girls are
instructed in child care, homemaking, sexual matters
abed the proper attitude towards husbands and
authority. Mende boys are instructed in road
maintenance, clearing land for agriculture, bridge and
trap making, basketry and weaving, traditional law and
custom, and the art of enduring hardship and pain.
Secret societies dominate the lives of traditional West
Africans and serve to establish social, political,
economic, and artistic rules that solidify and unite the
culture.
The Sande society uses the word ''Sowei'' to represent
the personification of the society's spirit, medicine, and
the most important masked dancer. The Sowei is
present at initiation school, brings male offenders to
justice, and is the chief mourner at funerals foe Sande
officials. Sowei mask are kept in special enclosures
called Kende where the mask attendant keeps medicine
and masks..
MENDE - BUNDU - SOWEI HELMET MASK ( Sierra Leone )
Early 20th century. 17.3''
Early 20th century. 17.3''