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Unknown"Mende Mask, " Carved Wooden Mask created in Sierra Leone c. 1930circa 1930
circa 1930
$10,125
£7,741.43
€8,861.37
CA$14,277.47
A$15,542.63
CHF 8,297.04
MX$187,635.18
NOK 104,324.99
SEK 96,963.21
DKK 66,181.56
About the Item
This mask was hand-carved by an unknown artist from the Mende tribe in Sierra Leone, Africa. It depicts a face with its eyes downcast, hair in rows, and two birds on the top.
16" x 10" x 10 1/2"
The Mende people (also spelled Mendi) are one of the two largest ethnic groups in Sierra Leone. The Mende are mostly farmers and hunters. Much Mandé art is in the form of jewelry and carvings. The masks associated with the fraternal and sorority associations of the Marka and the Mendé are probably the best-known, and finely crafted in the region. The Mandé also produce beautifully woven fabrics which are popular throughout western Africa, and gold and silver necklaces, bracelets, armlets, and earrings.
Masks are the collective Mind of Mende community; viewed as one body, they are the Spirit of the Mende people. The Mende masked figures are a reminder that human beings have a dual existence; they live in the concrete world of flesh and material things and the spirit world of dreams, faith, aspirations and imagination.
The features of a Mende mask convey Mende ideals of female morality and physical beauty. They are unusual because the masks are worn by women.[3] The bird on top of the head represents a woman's natural intuition that lets her see and know things that others can't. The high or broad forehead represents good luck or the sharp, contemplative mind of the ideal Mende woman. Downcast eyes symbolize a spiritual nature and it is through these small slits that a woman wearing the mask would look out of. The small mouth signifies the ideal woman's quiet and humble character. The markings on the cheeks are representative of the decorative scars girls receive as they step into womanhood. The scars are a symbol of her new, harder life. The neck rolls are an indication of the health of an ideal women. They have also been called symbols of the pattern of concentric, circular ripples the Mende spirit makes when emerging from the water. These masks appear not only in initiation rituals but also at important events such as funerals, arbitrations and the installation of chiefs.
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