Sowei helmet mask used by elderly women during the rites of passage to adulthood (Sande or Bundu) of young Mende women.
Made in an atypical manner, this particular as well as rare mask consists of the helmet hollowed out, worked and engraved in geometric patterns that recall the elaborate hairstyles of the Mende women.
The two rolls of neck fat, between whose folds are concealed two narrow slits that allowed the dancer wearing it a minimum of visibility and/or ventilation, represent wealth and abundance.
At the base of the helmet are numerous through-holes that were used to attach the long, thick ini mantle of raffia fibers to the mask.
The upper part of the helmet, evidently phallic in shape and most likely used during rituals to explain visually to young women the basic principles of sex education, is characterized by the full-length sculpture of a well-sculpted, well-proportioned and embellished head with the usual refined hairstyle, positioned on a long, four-roll fat neck.
This mask retains traces of numerous overlapping varnishes that give it a magnificent glossy black patina on which widespread signs of use are visible.