Helmet Mask

Item number 919/1 from the MOA: University of British Columbia.

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Description

Large, round, wooden helmet mask. Dark wood with slits carved for the eyes, a flat stubby nose and mouth, with a pair of horizontal lines carved on each cheek, and two rounded ears. It is carved with a large hair headdress with two rounded points, one at either side. There is a vertical row of upward pointing arrow lines in between vertical lines in the middle front of the hair. The sides have a vertical line of downward pointing arrow lines outlined with protruding pyramid-like shapes. The middle of the back also has a vertical row of carved out pyramid shapes. The hair has grooves carved out in between the designed vertical rows.

History Of Use

The sowei, or bundu, mask is made by men but worn as a dance mask by women in the Sande women's society, during girls' initiation camps. There they are prepared for marriage, trained in both domestic and economic pursuits and in singing and dancing. The masked dancers visit the camps to remind the girls of the ideals of female beauty and virtue. When the girls leave, they are considered to be women ready for marriage. During a dance, the mask is worn by a "ndoli jowei" performer, with a full costume concealing the dancer's identity.