sowei

noun

1. A guardian spirit of a Sande society of the Mende, who is represented by a special helmet-like mask.

   “Snakes are quite frequently depicted on sowei masks and it is possible that they are related to Sande lore or ritual practices, since snakes are found in rivers where the Sande spirit lives and where a number of important ceremonies take place.”

   “Like the men's society, the corporate consciousness of women and their respected place in the political body is represented by a masked spirit. This sowei (masker), like all the officials of the society, represents the corporate body of women and retains the authority to levy fines and punish women and men or the community as a whole. The ndoli Jowei (dancing sowei) is a masker whose figure is completely covered with black raffia, topped by the sowei mask.”

   “Each Sande group is led by one or more Soweisia who have custody of the sande 'medicine' and the sowei masks.”

   “Indeed, so ubiquitous are these 'sowei masks' that they form a veritable Sierra Leonean 'object diaspora' and have become iconic of the region—a sowei mask, for example, appeared on one of the first series of postage stamps issued by the newly independent Sierra Leone in 1961.”

2. (broadly)A woman who represents a sowei by wearing a sowei mask.

   “Like the men's society, the corporate consciousness of women and their respected place in the political body is represented by a masked spirit. This sowei (masker), like all the officials of the society, represents the corporate body of women and retains the authority to levy fines and punish women and men or the community as a whole. The ndoli Jowei (dancing sowei) is a masker whose figure is completely covered with black raffia, topped by the sowei mask.”