Sande Society Helmet Mask (sowei)
Artist
Mende artist
Datecirca 1950
MediumWood and raffia
Dimensions13 ¼ × 10 ¾ × 11 ¼ in. (33.7 × 27.3 × 28.6 cm)
ClassificationsWood
Credit LineGift of Reginald and Celeste Hodges
Object number2019.13.7
On View
On viewWhile art lovers and historians strive to read the sowei’s importance through form and coloring, for many Sierra Leonean women, it is the performance, not the mask, that embodies the poise, elegance, and refinement of female power—a learned sense of being, communicated transitively. Each mask is bestowed an individual name often relating to the woman’s adept dance steps, knowledge of which is usually lost in the collection process.
[A. Maples, "The People's Collection, Reimagined," 2022]ProvenanceCollected by Reggie Hodges around 1974 in Moyamba, Southern Province, Sierra Leone; given to NCMA, 2019.Exhibition HistoryRaleigh, NC, North Carolina Museum of Art, "The People's Collection, Reimagined," November 11, 2022–present. Object Rights Statement
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Artist Unknown
