bundu mask, check these out | What is Bundu mask?

What is Bundu mask?

Carved wooden helmet mask used by the exclusively female Sande (Mende) or Bondo/Bundu (Temne) societies. The mask is traditionally worn by a high-ranking member of the society, the dancing sowei, known as the ‘ndoli jowei’ among the Mende or ‘a-Nowo’ among the Temne.

What was the Bundu mask used for?

Function: Part of a public masquerade that celebrates a girl’s maturation. A female dancer appears in the costume → represents Sowo (water spirit of the Sande Society)

What are Mende masks made from?

Even though the masks are worn exclusively by women, they are carved by male artists. The sowei mask is made out of wood and finished in a monochrome black color made from vegetable dye.

What is distinctive about the Mende mask tradition?

Worn at performances to celebrate the completion of the young initiates’ training period, these masks are finely carved to convey admired feminine features: an elaborate coiffure, a smooth broad forehead, narrowly slit eyes, a small composed mouth, and a sensuously ringed neck.

Who wore Bundu mask?

Men wear the masks and men carve them. The Mende model of women wearing masks is a rare exception that is shared with peoples in southern Sierra Leone and western Liberia who are bound by the multiethnic men’s Poro association of which Sande (also known as Bundu) is the counterpart” (130).

What is the Bundu?

noun. the bundu. (in South Africa and Zimbabwe) the wilds; a distant or wilderness region.

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.

How can the female Mende mask be characterized?

How Can The Female Mende Mask Be Characterized? You’ll be greeted by a sculpted mouth, a sleek nose, wide forehead, narrow, slightly slit eyes, and sensuously flowing neck in these beautiful masks.

Which culture has a female masking society?

The sowei mask is one of the most important and recognizable symbols in the ceremonies of the Mende people. The Mende are one of the largest groups in Sierra Leone. There are two separate societies within the Mende: the Poro (the men’s society) and the Sande (the women’s society).

Where did the helmet mask originate from?

It originated among Senufo peoples living in close proximity to the Bamana, who use helmet masks with horrific animal imagery.

How do I identify an African mask?

Check the back of the mask for wear, including the holes for fastening the mask on the face. The wearer does a lot of moving in his dances, and contact between body and wood can leave sweat and oil stains. 2. Look for wear from forehead, cheeks, chins and noses.

What is unique about the mask tradition in Sierra Leone?

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.

What are helmet masks?

Within Mende and Sherbro culture, helmet masks are carved with symbolic features intended to endow the wearer with spiritual power. The masks are finely carved to convey admired feminine features: an elaborate coiffure, a smooth, broad forehead, narrowly slit eyes, a small, composed mouth, and a sensuously ringed neck.

Why is the display of African art in museums problematic?

Why is the display of African art in museums problematic? Their full meaning can only be understood in the context of ritual performance. How does traditional African art differ from Western art of the nineteenth century?

What is the ceremonial significance of the malagan display and mask?

Malangan masks are commonly used at funeral rites, which both bid farewell to the dead and celebrate the vibrancy of the living. The masks can represent a number of things: dead ancestors, ges (the spiritual double of an individual), or the various bush spirits associated with the area.