Mende Helmet Mask

Strict attention to artistic form and coherent understanding of group identity are portrayed through both the iconography of the mask and the context of its use/ownership.
The large forehead, plaited hair, scarification, and ringed neck identify the figures as beautiful women. The large forehead is a symbol of “honesty, success, and power.” The carefully rendered hair indicates orderliness. The closed eyes consider the viewer with respect – as direct eye contact is perceived as uncouth. The neck folds are a stylistic touchstone of Mende masks and may represent female fecundity. While this mask definitely pulls from traditional iconography of Mende masks, it also evokes what it means to be a Mende woman – representing the self as part of a larger group by both physical appearance and immaterial associations of personality and character.
This mask did not have an individual owner – as with the Dan Gle Mu mask – but would have been the collective property of the Sande society. The Sande is a secret society of women who have undergone an initiation to transform themselves from girls to women – this often includes female genital mutilation and strict mental discipline. The primary presence of this mask would be in the girl’s initiation ceremony, where the mask represents “a personification of the Sande spirit” who protects and guides the Sande women. As Sande society is more than 500 years old, the continuation of this practice, accompanied by this piece of material culture recalls a much older identity and understanding of group and culture.