Helmet mask Sowo-wui (44cm long x 22 cm wide x 23cm deep)

A sowo-wui helmet mask

This mask, called sowo-wui, was made by a Mende woodcarver in Sierra Leone in around 1909. It would have been worn with a costume in a masquerade that honours women's vital role in society.

Sande society masquerades are among the very few performed by women in Africa.

Masks of this type are still worn by the senior masker of the women's Sande medicine association called Sowei. They are performed at special times during the female initiation ceremonies that are still used in some communities to transform girls into marriageable women.

The leader of the Sande association in a particular community also has the title Sowei. She is the keeper of female wisdom and teacher of future wives and mothers.

The mask's design tells us a lot about the Mende people's ideals of female beauty and power:

the sowo-wui is almost always shown with downcast eyes - they suggest mystery, calmness and thoughtfulness
the mouth is small and closed. This shows spirituality and silence - the opposite of loud-mouthed gossiping
the woman has many folds of fat around her neck, a sign of fertility, health and beauty
high status Mende women used to braid and part their hair into complex shapes for ceremonial occasions - these are considered beautiful and are shown on this mask

The wood is painted black and then oiled and polished to give it a shiny 'wet' appearance. It gives the impression of the mask surfacing out of the water from the spirit world.

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