Sande society
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Sande, also known as zadεgi, bundu, bundo and bondo, is a women's initiation society in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea and the Ivory Coast. The Sande society initiates girls into adulthood by rituals including female genital mutilation. It is said by its supporters to confer fertility, to instill notions of morality and proper sexual comportment, and to maintain an interest in the well-being of its members throughout their lives.
Sande society initiates marked with white clay and animal fat, called Hojo or Wojeh.
Teenage girls being initiated into the Sande society, Sierra Leone. "The dancers all wore fetishes peculiar to the order, each having special significance. These consisted of several ropes of cane cut into beads and of rows of seeds which had been bored and filled with Bundu (Sande) medicine".
Sande society initiates, Sierra Leone.
Helmet mask (ndoli jowei) for Sande society; late 19th-early 20th century; wood; 39.4 x 23.5 x 26 cm (151⁄2 x 91⁄4 x 101⁄4 in.); Brooklyn Museum (New York City). A vertical crack runs from base of mask to head band at back center and includes a triangular 13⁄4 hole below band
Gola people
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The Gola or Gula are a West African ethnic group who share a common cultural heritage, language and history and who live primarily in western/northwestern Liberia and Eastern Sierra Leone. The Gola language is an isolate within the Niger–Congo language family. As of 2015, it is spoken by about 278,000 people.
Gola women of Liberia
Sowei mask. In Gola it is known as "Zoegbe". Zoe-Gbay
Helmet Mask (Gbetu) with Raffia Costume Brooklyn Museum