Mende (or Vai) Mask - Sierra Leone - SOLD

Price: $0.00


 


We acquired this mask through an estate, and were informed that it was originally collected more than 50 years ago.
Now in our private collection. A unique and unusual style of Mende mask used by the Sande Society which is a female association that regulates society. It consists of a school in the bush where young girls receive the necessary instruction before marriage. Mende believe that their ancestral spirits lie in the waters of the rivers, and the masks in the shape of the helmet incarnate the acquatic spirits. It is the only mask worn by women in Africa. 24 inches high, 12 inches diameter. SOLD