Ritual & language· Mende / Vai
Sande / Bundu
Women's initiation society across the Mende-influenced peoples — the only African mask danced by women.
Sande (also called Bundu among the Mende, Sowei among the Vai) is the women's initiation society across the Mende, Vai, Gola, Kpelle, Loma, and Bassa peoples (Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea). It is one of the few documented African contexts in which masks are danced by women — the sowei mask is worn by a senior society official.
The sowei mask is distinctive: a glossy black helmet-form with concentric ringed neck (echoing the "rolls" of a well-fed woman), elaborate coiffure, and small downcast eyes. Beauty marks signal both health and the moral excellence the society demands.