Sowei helmet, Mende (No reserve price)
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Casque sowei Mende, a reproduction of a Sowei mask from the Mendé culture of West Africa, in good condition, sold without a stand.
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Description from the seller
The Sandé female society among the Mendé is not the only initiation-oriented female society in West Africa. Among the Sénoufo, in the presence of the powerful Poro, the Typka association managed by women coexists. Taking care of the initiation of young girls, they are noticed at funerals, carrying on their heads statues representing a woman or a maternity during the ceremonies.
The Sandé, on the other hand, is unique: it is the only female society in West Africa to wear masks, namely the famous helmet masks that constitute the Sowei.
Masks very remarkable for the folds around the neck.
The Sowei masks embody an ideal of female beauty for the Mendé.
But the folds of fat constitute an important mark of beauty for all West African cultures (and more generally in Africa).
The wrinkled neck is therefore the mark of these folds of fat, a reference to abundance, to the fertility of the woman.
They are real and important signs of beauty.
Concretely, when the young girls retreat for 3 months into the forest, they undergo, among other rites, true fattening rites.
They are fed more than is reasonable in order to acquire at least a double chin!
More poetically, various interpretations have been given to these folds:
A reference to the chrysalis of the butterfly since the passage through initiation transforms the girl into a woman…
The Sandé female society among the Mendé is not the only initiation-oriented female society in West Africa. Among the Sénoufo, in the presence of the powerful Poro, the Typka association managed by women coexists. Taking care of the initiation of young girls, they are noticed at funerals, carrying on their heads statues representing a woman or a maternity during the ceremonies.
The Sandé, on the other hand, is unique: it is the only female society in West Africa to wear masks, namely the famous helmet masks that constitute the Sowei.
Masks very remarkable for the folds around the neck.
The Sowei masks embody an ideal of female beauty for the Mendé.
But the folds of fat constitute an important mark of beauty for all West African cultures (and more generally in Africa).
The wrinkled neck is therefore the mark of these folds of fat, a reference to abundance, to the fertility of the woman.
They are real and important signs of beauty.
Concretely, when the young girls retreat for 3 months into the forest, they undergo, among other rites, true fattening rites.
They are fed more than is reasonable in order to acquire at least a double chin!
More poetically, various interpretations have been given to these folds:
A reference to the chrysalis of the butterfly since the passage through initiation transforms the girl into a woman…
Details
Number of objects
1
Sold with stand
No
Condition
Good condition
Title of artwork
Sowei helmet, Mende
Authenticity
Reproduction/replica
Sold by
