Masquerades and Misinterpretations

Sande Mask Masquerades and Misinterpretations The Mende of Sierra Leone do not have a separate word for mask; it is their belief that a disguise figure is a ngata, or spirit, and must be viewed as a whole rather than as a distinguishable costume and weargonr (Philips). The Sande, which is the female society within the Mende culture, uses elaborately carved masks in dances that mark important community events and ceremonies, most notably the initiation of new members. The dances be extraordinarily expressive, requiring great run away of movement and aggressive gesture. To confine the masks in a museum severs them from the charitable interaction, sound and movement that makes them and us whole (Askren). Additionally, the static queer of the Sande masks in the museum does not sufficiently provide cultural condition or give insight to the performances for which they were do. By viewing Sande masks in a museum, the observer risks losing sight of the objects? original meaning. Furthermore, the tiny window provided by the The Sande museum display threatens to blur information on Sande culture. society, an organic law which still exists today, is constantly evolving in order for its members to meet their of necessity in contemporary society.

The mask and accompanying write-up available in the Museum of Anthropology provides only a stagnant representation, frozen in time. Sande masks are created in Sierra Leone by members of the Mende society. The earliest masks available were made in the 1850s, but the existence of earlier masks is difficult to verify because they may have been destroyed or lost due to withstand conditions in the region or other unpredictable factors (Philips). The masks are made of wood, most commonly from the cotton tree. When an artist was accredited to carve a mask, he was traditionally housed and fed passim the process, during which he would hollow out a wood gormandise with a kumboi, or round knife, then carve it with a kpeka, or small knife. All... If you want to get a plenteous essay, order it on our website: Orderessay

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