Sande Society and the Sowei Mask

Sande Society and the Sowei masquerade partyPolitical, Educational, and Gender Aspects of the Womens Society of the MendeThe Sowei Mask of the Sande Society is a symbol for the Mende people of Sierra Leone representing the ideals of feminine beauty, lone(prenominal) if the Sande Society in like manner plays a key role in the nurturing, livelihood, and consequence of teenage women into pornographics. This robe defines a goal for young women as nearly as symbolizes their transition from children to adults and, the Sande atomic number 18 the tools behind the Sowei which shape and mold the lead ups of their tender club into women capable of managing marriage, political power, and even spiritual secrets.The Sowei Mask itself is carved from timber c argon plentifuly with close attention to detail. Each mark is made with a greater picture in mind and at the end of the fulfill the mask will epitomize the Mendes idealities of grace, beauty, and serenity. After the carving, the mask is painted and nice to a black, glossy shine. There atomic number 18 many Sowei Masks, all of which occupy the black, glossy shine, besides each mask whoremonger differ in many areas. The Sowei Masks can possess rolls of fat on the neck, scarification patters on the face, cipher hairstyles, raffia around neck, and many other qualities which give it the elegance that it possesses. (Cosentino 17) The feature mask on display in the Stanley Collection has two humbled scarification patterns in low relief on either cheek of the mask, a bonny hairstyle with a small bird perched on top. The mask is full of curves and the light catches off the surface to accent the slight cuts made on the hair of the figure give it a life like timberland which complements the serenity of the masks expression. Not only does the mask represent outer beauty, but also references the beauty of a muliebritys inner strength and character. (Becker 82)The encircling ridges of a Sowei Mask which repre sent rolls of fat also are part of the institution of the mask. When a Sande order member who is particularly renowned for her choreography and dance skill she is said to dream of diving into a pool, which is the dwelling distinguish for female spirits. As she rises from the water, the ripples of the water on the surface form the go around the base of the mask. The often complex and always elegant hairstyles of Sowei Masks are said to have come from Sande officials falling into water and emerges with a beautiful hairstyle.(Textbook 180)In operation, the Sowei is danced by the ndoli jowui alongside a second mask, the gondei, which is the antithesis of the Sowei. The gondei is sometimes a discarded Sowei Mask which has been worn down or broken. Occasionally composings of toss away such as tin cans or shells are attached to the gondei, gain separating it from the Sowei. It is only when we analyze both masks that we separate the beauty and grace of the Sowei advertise from th at of the grotesque and hideous form of the gondei. By having the two masks juxtaposed, we can see the grace and elegance in which the Sowei is danced in comparison with the ugly, stumbling dance of the gondei. The performance itself occurs in the weeks before the public portion of the Sande initiation. When the Sowei emerges from the bush to dance, she is admired and greeted by the entire town. (Cosentino 16-7) When the initiates themselves are present at the dance, they wear braclets of palm pitch fibers and body nets with small iron plates. Their faces are smeared with animal fat full-grown them a more youthful appearance. (Newland 125)To the Sande the Sowei Mask as a establish of power from the spirit world. It is for this reason that while the Sowei Mask is the integral piece to bring the power needed to invest the initiates with everything they will need to marry, the mask also can appear in other places. Smaller versions can appear on the staffs and other objects utilise by higher rank members of the Sande and small figures also are common. These objects represent the medicine of the Sande and their connection with the spirits. (Textbook 180)The Sande society itself is enormous each village usually has its own Sande society regularizeed by a council of ageds. (Ellis 200) These elders are not only in charge of initation rites into the Sande society, and thence into adulthood, but also the birthing, education, circumcision, political aspects, and spiritual aspects of the initiates underneath them. Once pubescence is reached, the initiates are taken into the bush and taught the things they need to know to father adult women. Topics such as sex, dancing, fishing, cooking, and secrete medicines are discussed and generally a clitoridectomy, a female circumcision, is performed. After the initiates complete their training, they are eligible to marry and invested with natality (Leach 58), but are taught that jealousy for ones co-wives is greatly disco uraged. Initiates are also called and depict by sex-specific terms from the moment they graduate into full genderhood. Men are forbidden from the Sande bush just as the women are from the Poro, the mens secrete society, bush. It is the obligation of the Sande elders to punish any man who takes an initiate from the bush severely. The Soweis medicine is feared and when a man is pointed out as having broken a Sande law on that point is a fine or some other penalty which an elder determines. (Newland 125) Elder Sande officials are still susceptible to medicines which can affect their great power to deliver children, circumcise the initiates, and other tasks which are key to their position.The Poro and Sande societies together govern Mende ideas about gender and men and womens lives. Both genders have gender-specific tasks that are used to define a persons masculinity or femininity. Each group gives nettle to specific male and female medicines and social and political support. Both groups also give elders of the societies access to a higher status position in the villages. This status is known as a big man or big woman. The title comes with the responsibility of caring for the political or pecuniary assistance of others. In Mende society both men and women can become a big person or numu wa. While the Sande will harbor women from exploitation, abuse, and give them political and social support, the society also produces asymmetry. The high-ranking members usually gain their position from descent, and by controlling the important knowledge of the Sande, they are able to elicit loyalty or even material goods from the initiates and their families. In this way, the Sande society acts as a driving force in socio-political structures in what would otherwise be a male dominated society. With the polarized and parallel powers of the Poro and Sande societies, women are not considered inferior to men, they are only considered different. (Leach 59-60)The Sande serve as mentors for young girls becoming women, but they also serve as friends and colleagues. Every woman who is considered an adult in Mende culture has been initiated and graduated from the Sande society. The initiates they graduate with become their social system of support and the society leaders are there to protect them as well. It is in this way that we see that all Mende women are connected.In summary, the Sowei Mask demonstrates the inner and outer beauty of the perfect woman, which every initiate of the Sande society and thus every woman considered an adult, strives to attain. Not only do the Sande teach young women about life, but also provide them with a network of support for the rest of their lives. In this way, the Sowei Mask represents not only the Sande, but all adult Mende women and their unavoidable connection to each other.