Helmet mask "ndoli jowei" · Sierra Leone, Mende · ID: 3048731
sold
EUR 1,000
Provenance
Robert Lewitzki, Celle, GermanyZemanek-Münster, Würzburg, 21 September 2002, Lot 82
Werner Zintl, Worms, Germany
Size
H: 36 cm
H: 14.2 inch
Description
wood, sheet metal,
The life of the Mende is regulated by a number of initiation societies. The most important are the “poro” society of men and the “sande” society of women. The main aim of the “sande” is to prepare girls for marriage and motherhood.
At the final initiation ceremonies, the newly initiated are led through the village by a masked figure called “ndoli jowei” (“the sowei who dances”). This masked figure is believed to embody the guardian spirit of the “sande”- society, called “ngafa”.
Helmet masks “ndoli jowei” may only be worn by the highest-ranking members of the “sande” association, a woman called “sowei”.