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"Secret Society Mask-Sierra Leone W. Africa, " Wood created circa 1930

c. 1930

$14,210
£10,544.37
€12,282.75
CA$19,780.42
A$22,027.29
CHF 11,463.98
MX$271,593.77
NOK 146,002.61
SEK 137,228.30
DKK 91,644.54
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About the Item

"Secret Society Mask-Sierra Leone W. Africa," is a wood sculpture of a woman's head. The hair has been sculpted with intricate detail, and metal hair adornments have been added. 14" x 9" x 10" Sande, also known as zadεgi, bundu, bundo and bondo, is a women's secret society in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea and the Ivory Coast. The Sande society initiates girls into adulthood by rituals. Adolescent girls are initiated as a group during the post-harvest dry season in a specially cleared area of forest surrounding the town or village. The initiation period varies from several weeks to several months, depending upon such factors as the initiate's age, lineage membership, school attendance, and ethnicity. In the past, the girls are said to have remained in the forest for upwards of one year, during which time they made rice farms for the Sande leadership. In addition to the initiate's labor, Sande leaders receive a substantial initiation fee from the girl's father or her prospective husband, as a girl may not marry before initiation.
  • Creation Year:
    c. 1930
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 14 in (35.56 cm)Width: 9 in (22.86 cm)Depth: 10 in (25.4 cm)
  • Medium:
  • Movement & Style:
  • Period:
  • Condition:
  • Gallery Location:
    Milwaukee, WI
  • Reference Number:
    Seller: 132d1stDibs: LU60535002341

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