PORTRAITS OF AFRICAN WOMEN

"THE WATER SPIRIT"

This mask is worn by a female elder of the Sande women's society. Although the mask is carved by men it is the only mask reserved solely for women. The initiation and socialization of females takes place in Sande camps, where young girls learn basic Mende female values. They are trained for marriage, in domestic and family issues, about economic pursuits, and in singing and dancing. The Sande maskers visit the camps periodically and the young girls learn to respect these spirits that guide and protect them. When the girls leave the camp it is a symbol of rebirth; they are then women ready for marriage.

The Sowei mask is worn over the head of a female dancer and represents Mende ideas of female virtue and beauty. The broad smooth forehead of the mask signifies contemplativeness and restraint. The neck creases of the mask signify full-bodiness and good health, while the smooth skin represents youthfulness. The small shapely ears, nose and mouth mean that women are not given to gossip and braided hair is a testament to sexuality and cosmetic skills. The bird figure perched on top of the mask has several meanings that include love, discipline, laughter, danger, and power. The mask is worn with a black pajama like garment almost completely covered by long black raffia. The blackness of the mask and costume convey its non- human and mysterious character. In Mende the words "black" and "wet' are homonyms and the blackness of this mask identifies it as a river-dwelling spirit. (Vogel, 1980)


THEY VITALIZE THE POWER OF WITCHCRAFT

Kifwebe performers are seen as supernatural beings and use their sorcery to maintain social control. The female type of this mask is connected primarily with the physical world and reproduction. The dance of the female mask must stimulate human reproduction, vitalize the power of witchcraft, and activate the spirits which contribute to the birth of coming generations.

The whiteness of the mask signifies health, purity, peace, wisdom, goodness and reproductive capacity. The Kifwebe represents a concentration of power, the left side of the mask is referred to as the moon and the right, the sun. The facial design called Bikoko, suggest transformation, which perpetuates the supernatural notion that surrounds the mask. The eye slits represent "a fistful" of sorcerers; the nose and nostrils represent the opening of a furnace; the mouth, the beak of a bird and the flame of a sorcerer; the chin represents the snout of a crocodile and the striations of the face, the stripes of a zebra. "They (the Kifwebe) watch over the cyclic course of things, assuring continuity and smooth transitions." (Fittereman, p.148)


"AN ANCESTOR"

This mask incarnates a feminine ancestor of the Chokwe people. The ancestor encourages and watches over the fertility of future generations. The mask represents young women who have been initiated and are ready for marriage. Mwana Pwo translates to "young woman".

The markings of the mask are generally ancient patterns and may reflect the status of the woman represented, as they do on living women (Cole, P.77). The filed teeth of the mask are considered a sign of beauty in Chokwe society. The incisions below the down cast eyes are representative of tears, they are a reminder of painful experiences and death. The sunken eye sockets signify that the mask represents a dead ancestor and the line along the nose is called Kangango, after a mouse with a stripe on its back. The wig like part of the mask is a representation of a Chokwe female plaited hair style. "Mask, costume, rattle, and flywhisk are all integrated into an image of the ideal Chokwe female." (Cole, p.76)


"STRENGTH, JOY, BEAUTY, AND CUSTOM"

The Nimba mask represents the Goddess of fertility to the Baga people. Nimba is one of the most massive mask performed in Sub-Saharan Africa. It portrays the Baga notion of a woman at her finest moment of power, beauty and presence. The Nimba mask is danced to mark numerous community events that represent milestones of both personal and community growth. She appears at weddings, funerals, and at times of planting and harvesting.

Nimba is an abstraction of the Baga's ideal of the female role in society. (Lamp) Nimba's flat, pendant breasts convey the idea that she is a women who has given birth to many children and has nurtured them to adulthood, giving of herself selflessly. The intricately braided hair of the Nimba with the crest down the middle is representative of the patterns of agriculture and the planting of fields, that eventually nourish the community. The cicatrizations decorating the neck, face, and breasts of the Nimba signify the ability of mankind to alter his environment and create an orderly society just as a women raise children to be responsible productive adults. A Baga elder describes Nimba as "Nimba in our country is strength, the joy of living, the love of the beautiful and the attachment to our customs."



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