Sande Society mask
date: label: Accession Date
content: 15 Apr 1991
label: Collection Date
content: 1960's
name: label: Collector
content: Philip Abrams
label: Donor Name
content: Philip Abrams
notes: label: Notes
content: HELMET MASK MADE FROM SINGLE PIECE OF VERY DARK BROWN WOOD. SMALL HUMAN FACIAL FEATURES, HIGH FOREHEAD, SMALL EARS. ELABORATE COIFFURE, CARVED TO LOOK INTRICATELY BRAIDED. TWO SECTIONS, ONE IN FRONT, ONE IN BACK OF HEAD, SWIRL UP OFF HEAD AND "CURL" UNDER. ON TOP, MIDDLE OF HEAD, TWO LONG KNOBS STICK UP, TOWERING OVER REST OF COIFFURE. STUFFED WITH BLACK RAFFIA FIBERS. CHRISTINE KREAMER, RESEARCH ASSISTANT, COMMENTS: HELMET MASKS OF THIS TYPE ARE THE ONLY EXAMPLE OF WOODEN MASKS WORN BY WOMEN IN WEST AFRICA. THEY APPEAR IN MANY CONTEXTS, MOST NOTABLY IN INITIATIONS INTO THE WOMEN'S ASSOCIATION. THE MASKS EPITOMIZE IDEAL FEMININE BEAUTY, AND ARE ASSOCIATED WITH A WATER SPIRIT. THE RINGS CARVED AROUND THE NECK SIGNIFY RIPPLES ON THE WATER. PROJECTIONS FROM TOP OF HEAD RECALL PROVERBS THAT REFLECT ASPECTS OF SOCIAL ORGANIZATION, MYTH AND SPIRITUAL BELIEFS.THE COLLECTOR IDENTIFIES IT AS A BUNDU MASK.
label: Notes
content: From African Voices exhibit: "This mask symbolizes ideals of female beauty and moral character that are imparted to Mende girls during coming-of-age ceremonies."
label: Record Last Modified
content: 6 Oct 2021
label: Specimen Count
content: 1
place: label: Place
content: Sierra Leone (not certain), Africa
topic: label: Topic
content: Ethnology
culture: label: Culture
content: Mende
setName: label: See more items in
content: Anthropology
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: NMNH - Anthropology Dept.
identifier: label: Accession Number
content: 370726
label: USNM Number
content: E425139-0
objectType: label: Object Type
content: Mask
physicalDescription: label: Length - Object
content: 44.5 cm
label: Width - Object
content: 23 cm