This mask embodies the spirit of the young woman, mwana pwo, representing the beauty, grace, and inward meditative spirit of the female. It is worn by young men who also wear false breasts and a skirt to exemplify the female form. He dances to invoke the spirit of mwana pwo, the young woman who is mistress of procreative power. She insures the robust fertility of future generations.(Visual Arts 247) The designs carved on the face illustrate the scarification patterns of the Chokwe people in the society. The half closed eyes in large circular orbits are commonly seen in the Chokwe masks (Groveart). They reflect the inward beauty and tranquility of the female persona.
Mwana pwo symbolizes the spirit of the female as it is perceived by many cultures. She personifies the healthy, wholesome yet vibrant persona that the feminine power represents. She is beautiful and introspective, yet powerful and assertive.
When
a girl comes of age (after puberty) in the Mende
society she is initiated into the Sande society. Girls are taken from
the village to a special camp to acquire the grace and composure of a
Sande woman. She first undergoes female circumcision, clitoridectomy.
This takes away her male aspect just as circumcision takes the female
aspect away from the boy. Once the operation has been performed, the girl
is transformed into a woman through training in proper behavior, hygiene,
and the art of singing and dancing. She also learns
about sexuality, marriage and childbirth (Art and Life CD Rom). When she
returns to her home she radiates the beauty, composure and confidence
of a Sande woman. This initiation is necessary for her to be considered
an adult and eligible for marriage in the Mende society.
The beauty of the mask represents the grace and elegance of the new Sande women. The neck rings reveal the health and vitality of the young women being initiated into adulthood. The downward cast eyes of the mask indicate the composure and inward focus of the new initiates. The elaborate hairstyle done in beautiful braids reflects the beauty of the women. The mask is danced by the Sowei, an older women wise and learned in the ways of the society. The new initiates return to their society as confident young women during the dancing of the Sowei and a celebration of their new poise and transformation.
The
carved wooden animal masks of the Nuna represent sprints of the bush that
have taken animal form (Art of the Upper Volta 212). When the mask
is danced, the dancer imitates the movement of the hawk, swooping and
circling as the hawk does in the sky. Nuna
masks portray protective spirits that provide health, 
prosperity
and fertility. In the event of illness or other misfortune, a mask may
be carved to represent the spirit causing the problem in order to obtain
their protection (Art of the Upper Volta 221). The geometric patterns
and zigzag lines represent moral principals one must follow and the 'path
of the ancestors' (Ray, African Masks). http://www.lib.virginia.edu/dic/exhib/93.ray.aa/African.html
The
Songye kifwebe mask initiates the magical,
other worldly power of witchcraft or sorcery. The female mask is always
white, representing the benevolent qualities of the Songye world. It
embodies the qualities of health, wisdom, joy, purity, reproductive
potency, beauty and peace (Grove Art), traits that many world
cultures often distinguish as feminine.
The mask is danced to activate the benevolent spirits of these qualities and thus is danced in a more gracious, refined manner than the male counterpart which embodies courage, strength and magic and danger (traits commonly thought of as male) and is danced in a more vigorous, aggressive manner.
The graceful, symmetrical striations in the face represent the marks the Songye people wear on their faces to symbolize the beauty of the animal and the power it possesses. This remarkable mask is distinguished in that there are few masks of this quality remaining with the beard as well as the covering for the torso and arms still attached.
