Khan Academy: Sowei Mask: Spirit of Sierra Leone

Unique to the region around Sierra Leone, sowei masks are worn by senior members of the all-female Sande Society during rite-of-passage ceremonies that signify a girl's transition to adulthood. Each mask has an individual personality and is given a name which is revealed in a dream. For many years the name of this mask was lost. However, in a special ceremony in January 2013; members of the Sierra Leonean diaspora community in London gave the mask a new name: Gbavo, meaning '"crowd-puller" or "to attract people's attention." The newly-named mask was then formally re-presented to the British Museum. [6:47]