Title:
Gola, Sande Society, Mask
Object Name:
Mask, Helmet, Gola
Other Name:
Mask, Sande Society, Yasse
Place of Origin:
Gola, Liberia, Africa
Provenance:
Aboriginal Indigenous Art.
Gola females, like the Mende, wore Helmet masks which embody idealized female beauty as part of Sande Society initiation ceremonies. Each mask represented an ancestor of the society.
Members of the corresponding male society, poro, also wear masks, although they are of differing form. The women's yasse, a divination and healing society, employs slender human figures called minsere. Large ugly gongoli masks are used entirely for entertainment. Fecundity fetishes are also known.
Gola females, like the Mende, wore Helmet masks which embody idealized female beauty as part of Sande Society initiation ceremonies. Each mask represented an ancestor of the society.
Members of the corresponding male society, poro, also wear masks, although they are of differing form. The women's yasse, a divination and healing society, employs slender human figures called minsere. Large ugly gongoli masks are used entirely for entertainment. Fecundity fetishes are also known.
Description:
Wooden helmet mask, with egg—shaped top portion, with two ridges at very bottom, above base. Oval—shaped eyes in concave orbits, wedge—shaped nose, small mouth, D—shaped ears. Dark brown grooved hairline, coming to a central point, in center of forehead. Long ridged tubular protrusion, emanating from top of head, forming small white face at the tip. Dark brown and white patina or pigments cover entire surface area.
Collection:
Guy Mace Collection, (Turblex Company)
Material:
Wood W/Patina and Pigments
Used:
Ritually Used
Technique:
Carving / Painting
Owned:
Art Department, MSSU
Accession#:
2015.2.62
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Front View
Front View - 2
Front View - 3
Right Side View
Left Side View
Rear View
Front View
Front View - 2
Front View - 3
Right Side View
Left Side View
Rear View