Mende female figure, Sierra Leone, old collection Start Price USD 950.00 Current Price USD 950.00 Time Left - Bid Count 0 Buy It Now Price - Reserve Price - Start Time Sunday, September 21, 2008 End Time Tuesday, October 21, 2008 Location Denver, CO See more about 'Mende female figure, Sierra Leone, old collection' Description Healing/Initiation Figure. Mende. Sierra Leone. Height is 24 inches. Wood, stain. Early to Mid 20th Century. A rare and highly unusual piece. Statues from the Mende and their relatives, the Temne and Vai, are scarce and difficult to tell apart. An atttribution on this remarkable figure would be especially tough, were it not for the circular designs on the torso, which are often found on the famous Mende helmet masks of the "Sande" society. The carver of this piece shows a fair amount of daring in his approach, with the breasts far down near the abdomen, and the eyes and mouth of the face covered with what almost appears to be a medieval warrior's helmet. Though most statues from this group are tied to healing rituals, or forgiveness for broken taboos, the placement of the breasts gives the top portion of the statue the general appearance of the Sande helmet mask, so perhaps it had an educational or initiatory function. The Mende are a Mande-speaking group, an indication that they originated to the north in the Sudan. Village life is governed by the "Poro," a men's society, and the "Sande," a women's society which is unique to the Mende. While Poro is practiced by many cultures up and down the coast, from Guinea to Cote d'Ivoire, the Sande has no parallels elsewhere.**015052** All content, including pictures, Copyright Africa Direct Inc., 2006 Add Us To Your Favorite Sellers! Please visit our About Us page. SquareTrade © AP6.0 PesaMember Place a Bid!