soweis

Noun

sowei (plural soweis)

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.1980, Ethnologische Zeitschrift Zurich, page 123
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...2012, L. Day, Gender and Power in Sierra Leone: Women Chiefs of the Last Two Centuries, →ISBN