Lansana Ngumoi of the Gola people, Sierra Leone
Sande mask (Sowei)
Stanley-UI Foundation Support Organization and Mary Jo and Richard H. Stanley, 2006.34
Most Gola art is associated with initiation and healing, including this wooden mask. This type of mask is the only type of African mask reserved exclusively for women. It is used by female members of the Gola peoples during ceremonies as young girls are initiated into a women's secret society called Sande, an organization that is responsible for the education and socialization of young Gola girls. In the course of the initiation process, they learn an entire body of knowledge: rules of moral conduct, legends, dance steps, songs, and secret recipes for medicines.
When Gola girls reach the proper age (puberty), they are separated from their families and their community and taken in groups to isolated initiation camps. The length of the initiation time varies: for some groups it is several weeks, while for others it may be several months. This is an extremely important time for these girls because it is a transition between childhood and adulthood, between ignorance and knowledge, between play and responsibility. The elders stress concepts of moral stature and personal beauty. The girls acquire the knowledge they will need to perform as mature women, as mothers, and as citizens in their community. For instance, only women possess certain skills, such as the gathering and preparation of herbs and medicine from the wilderness. The girls are also prepared for marriage, which usually occurs soon after they have "graduated" from the camp and return to their community.
During a ceremony, the newly-initiated girls are led back to their community and reintroduced by a dancer who wears this mask and is covered from head to foot by a black costume. The dancer is accompanied by an attendant who "announces" the arrival of the Sande mask by name, and informs the gathering of the characteristics of the spirit. When not being used ceremonially, Sande masks are used to decorate the living spaces of revered members of the society. Each mask also has a personal name that represents the power of the female spirit it represents. The elders of the Sande society in the village of Gofor, located on the border of Liberia and Sierra Leone, chose to call this mask Bondo. Bondo is a nickname given to brave, self-sufficient hunters; this spirit, like her masculine namesakes, is unafraid to face the dangers of the wilderness alone.
The Sande mask depicts the feminine ideal of beauty among the Gola, including an elaborate carved hairstyle, thick rings of neck fat to indicate health and prosperity, and a high, domed forehead. The surface of the mask is a glossy black, the color of the mud on a river bottom. Black is also the color of clean, oiled, healthy, and beautiful human skin, and the women are praised for their glossy complexions. The shiny, black bird on the crown of the mask is symbolic as well. The "wet" appearance alludes to water and its function as a barrier between the physical and spirit worlds, and the bird itself is seen as a messenger that bridged these worlds.
Lansana Ngumoi is the artist; translated, the name means "Lansana the Carver." He was an itinerant carver who made masks for the Sande societies of the Gola, Mende and Yoruba peoples. While it is unusual to know the identity of African artists, Lansana Ngumoi achieved a level of fame and was revered in Gola society until the 1970s. The use of this specific mask is documented in field photographs.
This work can be seen on display at the UIMA@IMU, located in the Iowa Memorial Union's third-floor Richey Ballroom.
