Female (Pwo) Mask
1) The Female (Pwo) Mask is used in celebrations celebrating the Chokwe people’s women. This Pwo Mask was made in the late 19th to early 201th century and is made of wood, fiber, pigment, and metal. The creators of the mask, the Chokwe peoples, live in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
2) The mask represents values that the Chokwe people attach to the rite of passage and womanhood. Such values are introspection and wisdom. The mask conveys introspection and wisdom because the eyes and mouth are closed meaning the female is looking inward, thinking and reflecting. The woman that the mask represents is constructed this way because the women that it celebrates have already obtained wisdom and have no need to look outward for it. 3) The mask allows the wearer, usually a man, to connect to and celebrate womanhood. The type of power the symbolism are
…show more content…
This artwork was worn as a helmet rather than something that covered the face like a traditional mask would. With it, a raffia would be worn under it that did cover the face. A special thing to note this mask is that it is a masquerade worn by a woman and performed for women. Women in masquerade ritual masks is not typical of most societies. The mask was used as a learning tool in dance to teach girls various lessons. The mask would embody a spirit while being danced but outside of imitation, when not in use, the sprit would vacate the mask.
5)
a. The Sande society places importance on the initiation of young girls and womanhood i.e. their role and place in their future in this case.
b. The mask’s purpose to teach young girls about proper womanhood. While worn in ceremony, the girls learn through observing the mask wearer dancing and taking in the stories, types of dances, proper way to care for their families, and providing for their family like
"For the most part, headdresses are restricted items. In particular, the headdress worn by most non-natives imitate those worn by various Plains nations. These headdresses are further restricted within the cultures to men who have done certain things to earn them. It is very rare for women in Plains cultures to wear these headdresses, and their ability to do so is again quite restricted."
The society aspect of women roles and the duties as a woman. Society plays a role that is shown in a parallel between Girl and the Women’s Swimming Pool. In girl, her role is restricted in the direction by her mother. The restrictions come’s with consequences that she has to follow. These restrictions are guidelines that may or may not help her as a woman but she is subjected to do them in order to survive in a society that is controlled by men.
In the past there were two types of shamans, the good and the bad. The good ones
Leading up to the celebration the girls are taught a certain dance that must be performed at the ceremony. “the new initiates are brought into town for the first time since the initiation process began…” At the ceremony the Mende girls wear a Sowei mask and costume which is considered to be the embodiment of the river spirt Sowo. Once the mask and costume is on the person transforms and her actions are no longer hers but are the actions of the spirt Sowo. A sacred dance is performed and dance moves represent the strength and power of woman as members in the Mende community. “Sowo mask are divided into three structural components- the neck, face, and coiffure. Carved from a single block of lightweight wood, the masks weigh only two to four pounds. The mask displays a shiny black surface representative of the value assigned to smooth dark skin.” The rings around the masks neck demonstrates a trait that is considered beautiful in Mende cultures. Every mask has a different hairstyle, representing the style of the woman the mask is made for, you can see items such as shells, metal and claws on the coiffure.
Regardless of the origins, regardless of the propriety? the existence of the masquerade as a part of popular urban culture in the eighteenth century cannot be denied. The masquerade was a much needed outlet for the people of this time who constantly had to keep their behavior within the strict confines of what was socially acceptable. By putting one mask on, the masqueraders were able to take a more fundamental mask off.
Stated on page 2 it reads “… their faces were masked, so that no one, seeing a free and graceful gesture or a pretty face…” which meant if you were beautiful then you would be a mask to be equal to the less attractive. This demonstrates that they were forced. Examples in the book stated you have to wear a metal cap radio to keep from taking unfair advantages for their brains, you have a mask to cover up their face if they are beautiful etc.
“Be a man”, is on of the most destructive phrases to tell boys and men. The Mask You Live In explains the struggles boys and men have growing up in a patriarchal society. I chose to watch this to understand how men feel oppressed. All year, I became aware of females and their struggles in the patriarchy. It is interesting to see that men are affected too. The documentary should have had more personal stories because it allows the audience to connect with and have empathy for men. On the other hand, the movie thoroughly demonstrated the inner conflict boys and men face in society. Men feel they must be strong and dominate. They feel they need to hide emotion and empathy in order to fit in. They must be manly in order to
Valerie has successfully portrayed the picture of change in gender role within the ethnic community. She has cited an example of Sansei. In the book, it is said that the older generation was purely patri...
I was hoping to have negative things to say when wearing the veil which I encountered however I encountered positive things too which was a finished stun to me, at first I was willfully ignorant about the cover really benefiting something yet as I started tackle the full significance of the cover I started to see and feel more. I feel as though the veil seems to bolster an all the more full immersion into the character, to a more prominent degree a release from the typicality and inflexible inclinations for the unmasked on-screen character themself, and this information facilitates my association with working with covers. Right when making Commedia or Devious capacities, I found that having a drastically changed appearance (with my face) freed me from some of my standard restrictions and it was less requesting to be the character totally, complete with specific position, voice and diverse erraticisms. Notwithstanding the way that I have neither watched nor taken an enthusiasm for any Noh theater, I can imagine that also, wearing a Noh Yase Otoko frantic would allow the on-screen character to feel more connected with the character they're
Gerden claims that people tend to use different masks in different situations in life, depending on the motivation, attitude, emotional state etc. So, the psychologist advocates people wearing masks and claims that is not abnormal or sick. However, according to the traditional viewpoint of such noted
Though a mask may just be a paper cut out, a molded piece of plastic, or in the Lord of the Flies, a painted face, they all have the same ability to create a feeling of freedom from responsibility. They may make they wearer feel more important or powerful and too good for work, leading to a lack of fulfillment of their responsibility. This belief in freedom from responsibility is best exemplified by Jack, the first one on the island to begin wearing a mask. He used a mask because he felt it gave him power and skill, giving him reason to take up hunting as a prime responsibility, opposed to keeping the fire going. In their...
"The Moretta"-A mask that brought out the beauty of feminine features such as the female head, body and mind. The mask was held in place by the wearer biting on a button or bit and was finished off with a veil.This mask has not been widely worn since
When attending a masquerade, a person is expected to wear a mask. In fact, it’s looked down upon if a mask isn’t worn. But, what if for some people that mask never came off? In A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen, each character has constructed their own metaphorical mask that they set firmly in place every morning when exiting their bed. Each character: Nora, Torvald, Kristine and Krogstad all have masks that they put in place when speaking to each other. Throughout most of the play, it is clear that all of the aforementioned characters have multiple facades that they use when speaking to one another; often switching quickly as they begin speaking to someone else. Henrik Ibsen’s use of the masquerade serves as an extended metaphor to show the masks that the characters use in their everyday lives.
Wearing a mask covers up all of the flaws and insecurities we try to hide. A mask is just protection to hide feelings and emotions to be someone else. It doesn't just stop there, both poems describe how a mask serves many purposes to the wearer. As T.S. Eliot explains in his poem “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” these ideas are expressed as metaphors comparing his life to his surroundings and asking the reader to take a trip into his bizarre life. Also included in the poem “We Wear The Mask” by Paul Laurence Dunbar we get the sense that wearing a mask only covers up so much. Lyrical expression is shown in both poems that gives the reader the idea that a mask is more than just a facial cover up. Both poems have different themes but covers what wearing a mask truly means. The themes shown in the poems are suffering, appearances, race , and lies. In any case, wearing a mask hides who we truly are, but it is only temporary and doesn't disguise how we truly look or feel.
The purpose of a mask is to hide everything that is wrong by not showing it in the slightest. Not even that makes anything better for the mask user and will NOT solve anything for them. A short-term solution will not solve a long-term problem and can make the situation worse. Characters like Avis in the novel “We Are Called To Rise” use a variety of masks to hide the variety of problems in their lives. In the novel, Laura McBride uses Avis and their use of an emotional avoidance mask to demonstrate that she purposely hides how she really feels by showing no strength or emotion.