Monday, January 17, 2011

Mende Sande Society Bundu Mask 1420 - For African Art Gallery

Mende Sande Society Bundu Mask 1420 - For African Art Gallery


Mende Sande Society Mask
Tribe: Mende
Country: Sierra Leonne
Material: Wood, Pigment
Size: 16" (40.5 cm) 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.

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