Product Description


Mende Bundu Figure – Sierra Leone
A Mende Tribe Carved and Painted Wood Bundu puppet for the Sande Society, Sierra Leone, 20th Century, Having a cotton and animal hair clothing. Used among the Mende people by the women’s society ‘Sande’ or ‘Bundu’.
Made of 100% wood. cotton, animal fiber.
Model is W 17 – H 35 and weight 1 kg.
Description
A Mende Tribe Carved and Painted Wood Bundu figure for the Sande Society, Sierra Leone, 20th Century, Having a cotton and animal hair clothing. The piece is a very typical example: it has a tall, plaited coiffure, suggested in relief and is crowned with a sort of four-leafed ‘bowl’. On the side, there are ‘wings’ that have been carved out from the same piece and are decorated with stripes of geometric symbols and patterns. The forehead is tall and bulging. The characteristic, small, triangular face displays typical slit eyes and far-apart ears. Each cheek shows three customary tribal decorative scarification marks. The nose and mouth are small, sitting over a pointed chin. Used among the Mende people by the women’s society ‘Sande’ or ‘Bundu’. These ‘Sowei’ are commissioned by women according to their wishes, however, are carved from lightweight, light brown wood by men and always dyed black.
The 2,000,000 Mende comprise numerous kinds of social structure, such as firmly marked kin groups, political hierarchies, and societies for diverse purposes: training boys and girls on appropriate behavior, protection against enemies or curing illnesses. The Mende are best known for smooth, black, helmet-shaped masks, named sowei, used by the Sande society, in particular, during the initiating girls. Representing female water spirits, the masks have an idealized female face whose aesthetic reflects religious and philosophical ideals. The design of the facial features conforms to strict conventions and has symbolic content. These masks are characterized by the shiny skin, the rings at the neck and the elaborate hair styling that suggest good health and a well-to-do social condition. These helmets were carved from the full trunk of a large tree. For generations, farmers in Sierra Leone and adjoining portions of Guinea and Liberia have unearthed small figures carved of soapstone and other types of rock. The imagery and the style of these sculptures are quite varied, especially among those found in the lands now inhabited by the Kissi and Kono people.
Additional information
Weight | 1 kg |
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Dimensions | 17 × 35 cm |
Color | |
Material |
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