Helmet Masks. Mende ethnic group, Sierra Leone, Liberia
Sande, also known as Bundu, is a women's initiation society in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Côte d'Ivoire. The Mende are one of the largest ethnic groups in the region. There are two separate societies within the Mende: The Poro (the men’s society) and the Sande (the women’s society). Both societies prepare and train young Mende people to be initiated into adulthood.
Sande controls the use of these helmet masks, which embody Sowei, their guardian spirit. The spirit of Sowei represents the ideals and authority of society and is understood as the Sande society’s teacher, healer, and judge. The Sowei mask is one of the most important and recognisable symbols in the ceremonies of the Mende people.
One of the most prominent aspects of the girls’ coming-of-age ceremony is traditional song and dance. While dancing at the event, officials of the Sande wear Sowei masks. The Sowei mask is a “helmet mask” that is worn over the head, while the rest of the dancer’s body is hidden by blackened raffia fibres and cloth. All the masks have small holes around the base of the helmet, which is where the black raffia skirts were previously attached.
The masks usually include an elaborate hairstyle and attempt to represent the Mende ideals of feminine beauty, with high foreheads, small and delicate, compressed facial features, and voluminous neck rings, depicting the desirable full-figured woman. There are three major aspects of the mask: the neck, the face, and the coiffure. The neck typically features two to three rings of flesh, which is a sign of wealth and prosperity. The mouth is small and tightly closed, since spirits are silent; talking is seen as an attribute of the human world. The coiffure includes the mask’s representation of hair and other embellishments, such as the symbol of a bird or snake.
Even though the masks are worn exclusively by women, they are carved by male artists. The Sowei mask is made of wood and finished in a monochrome black colour made from vegetable dye. Since the masks are worn as helmets, they must be light and comfortable when resting on the dancer’s shoulders. The masks typically weigh around one to two kilograms.
