A comic Sande mask—the antithesis of Sowo beauty and decorum—who entertains the public with outrageous antics.

A religio-legal institution, a sodality, a “secret society.” The two great Mende hale are the Sande for women and the Poro for men.

An initiated member of a hale society; one who knows the properties and uses of plants. By extension, a healer or herbalist.

Fine, white kaolin/porcelain clay, chalk, having several secular and ritual uses in Mende culture.

Informant

A term used by linguists, social scientists, art historians, and other field-workers, to refer to a person of a culture who provides information about his language, history, social structure, art, and so on.

Initiation

Rites, ceremonies, ordeals, or instructions by which one makes the transition from one stage in life to another, such as the change from childhood to adulthood, or by which one becomes the member of a sect or society. Sande initiation rites include excision, a period of seclusion for healing and study, tests of knowledge and performance, and dramatization of the belief that the novices are reborn, followed by their festive debut back into the community as beautiful, refined young women, prepared and groomed to be citizens, wives, and mothers.

A woman of junior ligba rank who is mistress of Sande ceremonies, organizing and arranging for all public social events; she is Sande’s town crier and announcer.

An enclosure, encampment, compound, that is the venue for the Sande session of initiations.

A person who is not connected with any hale and is thus not knowledgeable about the workings of the culture. The word is extended as a noun to mean an ignoramus, a dummy, a fool; and as a verb to mean “become insane or deranged.”

Second rank in Sande. Within ligba, there are two grades: Ligba Wa (senior) and Ligba Wulo (junior). In any locale there is only one Ligba Wa; she is an executive, powerful officer in Sande. Before she can take leading roles in Sande artistic activities, a woman must qualify at least as a Ligba Wulo. Promotion through the grades and ranks is on the basis of further study and knowledge of the Sande curriculum of botany/herbalism, ethics, ceremonies, dance, song, homecraft.

Farming household, often a joint patrilocal family living together in a compound, “consisting of one or more older men and their wives, some or all of their sons and daughters, husbands and wives of the latter; and a number of grandchildren” (Little, 1967:96).

Pal, buddy, same-sex companion, friend; a term for Sande women who have undergone initiation together, and who thus owe each other lifetime affection, loyalty, and support. Also, a term for co-wives in a polygynous household, “mate.”

A girl undergoing Sande initiation.

An ethnic group of Mande heritage numbering some one million persons who live in southern and eastern Sierra Leone, on the West Atlantic coast of Africa.

“The expert in dancing,” a woman of junior Ligba rank who dances the mask in public and teaches dancing to the girls in the initiation encampment.

God, the One-God, whom the Canon Reverend Harry Sawyerr has described as the “Creator of the Universe,” “Ruler of the Universe,” and “Father-Protector” (1970:62–67).

A woman, wife, female who has been initiated into the Sande Society. The one word indicates that Sande initiation makes a woman of a child, and every woman into a wife (as in the French femme, the German frau, etc.).

A “follower of Sowei”; a newly graduated initiate; thus the new nyaha herself is a Sande leader in the future.

The great hale society of Mende men.

Preceptor

Following the usage by D. Biebuyck (1973:xx) a senior informant who is a teacher and guide to arcane and recondite society knowledge.

The great hale society of Mende women.

“An expert in Sande,” woman of Sowo rank who is keeper of Sande knowledge and head of a Sande lodge or speciality.

“Sowei who initiates a Sande,” a high-grade Sowei who is organizer of a Sande session; its chief administrator, who is responsible for its success.

A girl who has just completed Sande initiation.

Senior wife

First, leader wife in a polygynous and/or joint household, who has the mawė under her administration; she organizes the women’s farm work, and is largely responsible for the harmony and productivity of the compound.

Name and term of address for the esteemed women who hold Sowo rank in the Sande Society and who function in professional positions in the community as healers, judges, priestesses, educators.

Large s, the Sande Society mask, dancing spirit, whose visible persona consists of a sculpted helmet head and a costume of cloth and fibers, all in stark black.

Small s, an expert, male or female, who leads the activities or excels in the job because he or she has the requisite ability or know-how. Sowo is the top level in the Sande Society.

“Expert in dancing,” a woman of ligba level who teaches and performs Sande festive and ceremonial dance.

“The head of Sowo,” the helmet mask-head of the Sande Spirit. That is, ngu—head—mutating to wu, wui in definite form; thus sowo-wui is the mask-head.

A river spirit who appears as a mermaid. Said to be beautiful, shapely, light-skinned, long-haired, woman-to-the-waist, fish below.