Gonde Mask

This is described by the Sierra Leone National Museum as a Gonde mask. The gonde is an entertainment masker that appears together with the dignified ndoli jowei, or dancing Sowei, of the Sande society. It offers a parody of the latter by its own dishevelled appearance and undignified behaviour. The mask is often an old Sowei mask that is too decayed or damaged to be used for its original purpose; this example has, however, been specifically carved with a clownish expression. I may have been carved for sale, rather than use.

Further Information

• Type: Masks, headdresses
• Object: Gonde Mask
• Materials: Wood
• Culture Group: Other
• Dimensions: Unknown
• Production Date: Pre 1972
• Associated Places: Bo
• Associated People: Mr. A.R. Amara, Bo (Trader)
• Museum: Sierra Leone National Museum
• Accession Number: SLNM.1972.03.08

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