Two:
20th c.
Ibibio Ekpo Society Mask, Nigeria
Carved wood
8 1/4" x 5" x 3 1/2"
20th c.
Mende Sande Society Bundu Mask, Sierra Leone
Carved wood
18 1/2" x 8 3/4" x 9 1/4"
Provenance
Allan Stone Collection, New York
Because of the prominence of women in Mende life - they not only control important areas of social life, but can also rule as chiefs— the Sande bundu (a.k.a. sowei) mask is an outstanding example of the visual expression of African female power. It is the most artistically elaborated of the Mende mask types. It is also the only documented mask in Africa worn by women. Gendered initiation societies, such as the female initiation society, Sande, are dominant institutions in West African culture, and are responsible for the preservation of centuries-old traditions and art forms. Sande prepares Mende girls in southern Sierra Leone and Liberia for adulthood and marriage. During the Sande initiation masquerade, it is women, rather than men, who impersonate spirits wearing full body disguises and carved headpieces. The mask presents an ideal of feminine beauty admired by the Mende: elaborate hairstyle, full forehead and small facial features. The gleaming surface signifies healthy, glowing skin. The swelling fleshy rolls alternating with deep incised lines at the neck or back of the head are considered marks of beauty and a promise of fecundity. The initiation of new members into Sande occurs in seclusion over a period of a year or more, during which the girls are educated in ritual knowledge, practical life skills, proper social and sexual behavior, and motherhood. Initiates are often painted white as a symbol of their transition into womanhood. They also traditionally undergo female circumcision (FGC, a clitoridectomy), a ritual signifying the bestowal of fertility. In 2012, female leaders of the Sande society agreed to stop FGC for several years, while still rejecting any criticism of the cultural practice.


References

Henry, Madelyn. The Sande Society: Art and Culture, Mt. Holyoke College, 2009 http://www.mtholyoke.edu/~henry20m/classweb/index.htmlPhillips, Ruth B., "Masking in Mende Sande Society Initiation Rituals", Africa: Journal of the International African Institute, Vol. 48, No. 3, 1978, pp. 265-277 http://www.jstor.org/stable/1158468Poynor, Robin. African Art at the Harn Museum: Spirit Eyes, Human Hands. University Press of Florida, 1995. pp. 185-191 PRI's The World March 30, 2012 https://www.pri.org/stories/2012-03-29/female-circumcision-temporarily-stopped-liberia

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