Helmet mask "sowei" of the "bundu" society · Sierra Leone, Mende · ID: 3033134
Karl-Ferdinand Schädler, Munich, Germany
Harald & Ursula Suhr, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada / Germany (1977)
Description
light brown wood, blackish brown patina, cylindrical form, a compressed, diamond-shaped face, crowned by a high towering fanciful coiffure with two separate carved birds, plaited plant fibre cuff, min. dam., cracks, minor missing parts, slight traces of abrasion, on wooden base;
such helmet masks are commissioned and worn by women, although carved by men. They are associated with the education and socialization of young females, and their excision ceremonies are supervised by the “bundu” or “sande” societies. Senior woman wear these masks at the termination of initiation ceremonies in order to embody their patron spirit a persona of fecundity and grace, known as “sowei”.
The object Helmet mask “sowei” of the “bundu” society with the object ID 3033134 was last part of the auction 70th tribal art auction at September 8, 2012 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house. The object with the lot number 89 achieved a sales price of EUR 1,300.
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Comparing literature
Mato, Daniel & Charles Miller, Sande, Düsseldorf 1990, p. 125