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Title

Initiation mask
Artist

Artist Unknown (Mende)
Date

20th century
Institution Minneapolis Institute of Arts
Location On view at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, G240
Initiation mask, Artist Unknown (Mende)
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Sande Society Mask: Gallery Label - Current
Among the Mende people of Sierra Leone, young girls are initiated into adulthood by participating in the Sande society, a women's secret society that trains girls in the skills they need to live as productive women. The Sande masks reflect the ideal of feminine beauty, and embody the protective spirit, bondo. The neck rings on this mask are said to mimic those of a chrysalis, a butterfly's cocoon, and symbolize the metamorphosis of the young initiates into beautiful, powerful Mende women.
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Scale
 
Medium: Mask (Do Not Use) | Wood, raffia
Size: 13 x 8 x 8 in. (33.0 x 20.3 x 20.3 cm)
Creation Place: Africa, Sierra Leone, West Africa region
Culture: Mende, Africa, Sierra Leone, West Africa region
Style: 20th century
Physical Description: Mende Society Mask, wood and raffia, Mende Tribe, Sierra Leone, Africa, XIX c. Msmt.s of helmet only. *Med.Raffia ?- Poss. Human Hair!
Credit: Collection Minneapolis Institute of Arts; The Christina N. and Swan J. Turnblad Memorial Fund
Accession Number: 72.69.1
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Added to Site: February 28, 2009
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