MENDE, SIERRA LEONE

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Mende society is governed by a number of esoteric associations, foremost among which are the Sande women’s society and Poro men’s society. Both prepare young initiates for adulthood and make extensive use of masquerade. The helmet mask presented here, known as sowei, represents a Sande guardian spirit. It is utilized by a dance expert (ndoli jowei, a term sometimes used to refer to the mask itself) and appears at a host of Sande rites, as well as birth and funeral ceremonies. From generation to generation, these masks served to induct the new women of the tribe into the next chapter of their lives, revealing and passing on the knowledge of their ancestors.

This stately sowei shows a typically modest expression with lowered eyes and a small, closed mouth over bunched neck rings which extend around and up the back of the neck. Back from the high, smooth forehead sweeps a tight coiffure of seven ridges and close-cropped geometric designs in relief. Viewed in the round, the undulating, repeating echoes of the coiffure and fleshy folds around the lower half of the mask generate a continuous visual rhythm and powerful sculptural energy.

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