On view
African Art
Sowei or ndoli jowei helmet mask,
late 19th–early 20th century
Artist unrecorded
Mende
2015-7
The helmet masks worn by the female officials of the Sande society— a women’s initiation society—are carved by men. They are a key component of one of the few masquerades in Africa performed by women, reinforcing the power of the women of the Sande society. The elaborate hairstyles, broad high foreheads, small slit eyes, closed mouths, and fleshy neck rolls represent to the audience an idealized image of female beauty and power. The masks are worn with a fiber costume during public performances three times during the initiation process, a long period of seclusion when adolescent girls are instructed in the knowledge needed to prepare them for their adult roles as wives and mothers.
More About This Object
Information
Title
Sowei or ndoli jowei helmet mask
Dates
late 19th–early 20th century
Maker
Medium
Wood, rawhide, resin, metal, and upholstery stud
Dimensions
35.6 × 22.9 × 27.9 cm (14 × 9 × 11 in.)
Credit Line
Museum acquisition from the Holly and David Ross Collection, with the support of the Fowler McCormick Fund
Object Number
2015-7
Place Made
Africa, Sierra Leone
Techniques
Subject
Rene Guyot, Monrovia, Liberia, 1975; [purchased by Michael Oliver, New York, NY, 1975]; purchased by Sandra Marsh, Los Angeles, CA, 1975; [purchased by Michael Oliver, New York, NY, 2004]; purchased by Holly and David Ross, Princeton, NJ, 2004; purchased by the Princeton University Art Museum, Princeton, NJ, 2015.
