Sowei Sande Society Mask
Tribe: Mende
Country: Sierra Leonne
Material: Wood
Size: 17" Tall
The Sande society is exclusively a womans society responsible for the initiation of young girls into womanhood and instructing them on the duties they will be responsible for as wives and members of the adult tribal community. The authority of the Sande society gets its power and influence from Hale, the magic that women control and which resides in the Sowei mask. The Sowei mask is the only mask danced by women in West Africa. This is a ‘helmet mask’ worn over the head. |
