MENDE / VAI MASK 27
Photographs © Hamill Gallery
MENDE / VAI, BUNDU HELMET MASK with Raffia Collar #27, 34",
$1400, SOLD
Bundu (or Sande), a women's association, is almost unique in
Africa in that it controls the use of these masks, which embody Sowo, their
guardian spirit. The masks usually include an elaborate hairstyle and attempt
to represent serene feminine beauty, with high foreheads, small, compressed
facial features, and voluminous neck-rings, depicting the desirable full-figured
woman. Originally all had a dark raffia collar and were worn with a full,
dark costume of raffia on cloth. Those, like this one, with the raffia include
a black metal stand.
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