The Sande Society 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 circumcision.
The initiation of new members into Sande occurs in seclusion over a period of a year or more, during which the girls are educated in ritual knowledge, practical life skills, proper social and s*xual behaviour, and motherhood. Initiation camps are built in the bush for privacy, and only members and initiates are allowed to enter the camp. The inner workings of these camps have been kept incredible secret, as called for by the Sande “code”.
Initiates are often painted white as a symbol of their transition into womanhood, and when the initiates appear in town (which happens on occasion during the period of initiation), the accompanying Sande masquerade dancer may wear a white scarf around her mask as a symbol of the initiates.
Once members are fully initiated into the Sande society, they are expected to uphold the ideal of the Sande and serve as respectable members of society. The vast majority of new members are married immediately after the initiation period, as the training received in the initiation camp directly correlates to the initiates’ new role as a wife and mother.
The rather sad part, as many would say is that the Sande initiates undergo clitoridectomy (female circumcision), a ritual signifying the bestowal of fertility upon the individual. This practice has become an issue of great scrutiny, as much of the Western world views this ritual as a violation of human rights.
Also, one of the most dynamic elements of Sande initiation is masquerade dance. Sande masks are the only masks worn by female masquerade dancers in all of Africa. A Sande masker holds the title of Sowei, the highest rank in the Sande society, but is more often referred to as Ndoli Jowei, “the dancing Sowei,” which signifies her primary role in the society. The Sande masker is the embodiment of a spirit, Ngafa, that reveals the location of special “medicine”, hale, to Sande leaders. The hale of the Sande, also called Sande, is found and collected in rivers, and is the basis of all Sande power and influence. The secrecy of the masker’s identity is of the utmost importance, as is the secrecy of the rituals of Sande initiation and membership.
The Ndoli Jowei appears on several separate occasions during the initiation process, during which she may or may not dance, as there is considerable variation in the initiation process across West African cultures. Ndoli Jowei also dances during events of political significance, such as the visit of a government official, the crowning of a new chief, or the funeral of an important figure.
The cultures of West Africa have existed and still exist today as primarily oral-based, in contrast to the Western practice of written culture. This history of oral culture is quite evident in the traditions of the Sande society. Sande traditions, lessons, and history are passed down from generation to generation. As previously discussed, the masquerade and dance is one avenue of passing on this information.
Members of the Sande society are taught an additional oral tradition known as Kpua Domeisia, roughly translated as “to pull stories,”. The Sande women who can pull stories are considered highly intellectual and talented.
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