A Bundu mask, Mende People, Liberia/Guinea.

The Mende initiation rite for young women is the only known masquerade tradition where the mask-wearers are female.



Sowei refers most specifically to medicine—the kind of medicine that female healers/herbalists utilize. Embodied in this
idea of medicine is a spiritual force. The mask, when danced, is a visual expression of this spirit. The term also refers to
the custodian of the medicine — a Sande official. S. Brooklyn Museum, smarthistory/bundu-sowei-helkmet.mask by Dr.
Peri Klemm and Dr. Steven Zucke.

700 - 900,- Euro

Height: 42 cm
Weight: 1,3 kg