Sowei 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. Worn with a raffia costume, the masks typically have a polished black finish, with neck rings, elaborate coiffure and dignified facial expression. The mask is thought to represent conceptions of idealised womanhood. This example is wearing a European style crown and a state umbrella, similar to that used by the Asante King Prempeh, when he was exiled to Sierra Leone in the early years of the 20th century.

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Further Information

• Type: Masks, headdresses
• Object: Sowei Mask
• Materials: Wood, Vegetable, organic fibre
• Culture Group: Mende
• Dimensions: 4350mm [H] x 2350mm [W] x 260mm [C]
• Production Date: Pre 1943
• Associated Places: Unknown
• Associated People: Alice Byrne
• Museum: British Museum
• Accession Number: BM:Af.1943.2.14

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