Bundu masks, created in the 19
th
and 20
th
centuries in
Sierra Leone
, were crafted by men but worn by women during initiation masquerades. These masks represent the importance of women in Mende society, as well as the emphasis on adhering to the ideal of a young Mende woman.
Who wore Bundu masks?
African, Republic of Sierra Leone
The mask was used exclusively by
women of the Sande society
, a pan-ethnic women’s initiation society among the Mende and neighboring peoples, including the Vai, Sherbro, and others, in Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea, and Cote d’Ivoire.
What are Bundu masks made of?
Content: The full costume, made of
a gown of raffia fibers (completely covering her body)
and the 2-4 pound mask, represents Sowo. The mask’s deep black sheen and smoothness shows ideal image in contrast to the white clay. The sheen is created by a coat of palm oil → helps to represent healthy and beautiful skin.
What do the neck rings of the Bundu mask represent?
Downcast eyes are associated with modesty and the nonhuman essence of the spirit that inhabits the mask. The wide rings on the neck are usually interpreted as rings of fat and
signify fertility
.
What is the purpose and symbolism of the Mende Sowei mask?
The sowei mask is a “helmet mask” that is worn over the head and the rest of the dancer’s body is hidden by blackened raffia fibers and cloth. Since the mask
serves as the visual connection to the spiritual world
, the officials’ faces and bodies are not visible, and thus conceal any human attributes.
What was the Buk mask used for?
Function: Used
during funerary ceremonies and increase rites
(rituals designed to ensure bountiful harvests and an abundance of fish and game). Content: This work displays the composite human and animal imagery typical of western Torres Strait masks.
Who made the transformation mask?
This mask refers to the Kwakiutl belief in the ability of animals and humans to transform into one another.
Richard Hunt
, the artist who made this mask, preserves traditional Kwakiutl practices in wood sculpture.
Which culture has a female masking society?
In most
African cultures
, all masks, including those representing female characters, are danced by men. The sowei mask is unique because it is danced by a woman. The mask and its wearer offered a model of ideal behavior for new members to emulate and a demonstration of female virtues and wisdom to the larger community.
How are the beautiful lady masks used among the senufo?
The tribal masks of the Senufo tribe are mostly political masks. … This particular mask is worn by a man and represents a woman, since
women in the tribe don’t wear the masks
. It was used in important ceremonies to represent the gender roles and how they intermingle with society at large.
What do the features on a Bundu mask embody quizlet?
She embodies the values and characteristics of
an ideal woman of the Mende people
. … When the Sande society educates its female youth about their history, traditions, and methods for household management, the masks are worn for dances to let the spirit enter their body to mark their transition to woman hood.
What is distinctive about the Mende mask tradition?
Within Mende and Sherbro culture, helmet masks are carved with
symbolic features that endow wearers with spiritual power
. … The presence of a beard — a symbol synonymous with the wisdom men achieve with age and experience — may suggest that through Sande women attain the same amount of knowledge as men.
What is a portrait mask?
Portrait masks characteristically have
an oval face with an elongated nose, small, open mouth, downcast slit eyes with projecting pieces
that extend beyond the crest to suggest animal horns. Most also have scarification patterns at the temple and a high gloss patina.
What is Mende culture?
The Mende culture consists
of two main societies- the Poro and the Sande
. The primary role of both societies are the same in that they intend to teach people the expectations of the community, but they are distinguishable from each other by group members’ gender. The Poro is for men and the Sande is for women.
Where do Mende people come from?
Mende, people of
Sierra Leone, including also a small group in Liberia
; they speak a language of the Mande branch of the Niger-Congo family. The Mende grow rice as their staple crop, as well as yams and cassava.
Who made the female PWO mask?
Female (pwo) mask (Chokwe peoples) . Created by
Beth Harris and Steven Zucker
.
Which aspect of Mende masks is meant to evoke the ancestral female spirits?
How do Mende masks symbolize the ancestral female spirits?
The glistening black surfaces of the masks
evoke the ancestral female spirits.
