Sowei (mask-wearer and ritual specialist)
E1577062
UNEXPLORED
Sowei are senior female leaders and ritual specialists in the Sande society of West Africa, known for wearing elaborately carved helmet masks during girls’ initiation ceremonies.
All labels observed (1)
| Label | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| Sowei (mask-wearer and ritual specialist) canonical | 1 |
How this entity was disambiguated
This entity first appeared as the object of triple T23256951 — resolving that mention is where its identity was fixed. The disambiguator weighed these candidate entities and picked the highlighted one (or “None”, minting a new entity). This is how homonymy is resolved: the same surface form can point to different entities.
NED1
Entity disambiguation (via context triple)
gpt-5-mini-2025-08-07
Target entity: Sowei (mask-wearer and ritual specialist) Context triple: [Sande society, leadershipRole, Sowei (mask-wearer and ritual specialist)]
-
A.
shibi (Qiang ritual specialist)
The shibi is a traditional Qiang ritual specialist who conducts ceremonies, communicates with deities and ancestors, and preserves the religious and cultural heritage of the Qiang people.
-
B.
Marapu priests
Marapu priests are traditional religious leaders of the indigenous Marapu belief system in Sumba, Indonesia, responsible for conducting rituals, sacrifices, and ceremonies that mediate between humans and ancestral spirits.
-
C.
Priest Yuyo Shoso
Priest Yuyo Shoso was a Buddhist cleric best known as the founder of Tokyo’s historic Zojo-ji Temple, a major Jodo sect temple and former Tokugawa family temple.
-
D.
Houngans
Houngans are male priests in Haitian Vodou who serve as spiritual leaders, ritual specialists, and intermediaries between humans and the loa (spirits).
-
E.
Dongba priest
A Dongba priest is a traditional Naxi religious specialist who performs rituals, divination, and ceremonies using the pictographic Dongba script and ancient shamanic practices.
- F. None of above. chosen
- G. Unsure - the case is ambiguous/there is not enough information to decide.
NED2
Entity disambiguation (via description)
gpt-5-mini-2025-08-07
Target entity: Sowei (mask-wearer and ritual specialist) Target entity description: Sowei are senior female leaders and ritual specialists in the Sande society of West Africa, known for wearing elaborately carved helmet masks during girls’ initiation ceremonies.
-
A.
shibi (Qiang ritual specialist)
The shibi is a traditional Qiang ritual specialist who conducts ceremonies, communicates with deities and ancestors, and preserves the religious and cultural heritage of the Qiang people.
-
B.
Marapu priests
Marapu priests are traditional religious leaders of the indigenous Marapu belief system in Sumba, Indonesia, responsible for conducting rituals, sacrifices, and ceremonies that mediate between humans and ancestral spirits.
-
C.
Priest Yuyo Shoso
Priest Yuyo Shoso was a Buddhist cleric best known as the founder of Tokyo’s historic Zojo-ji Temple, a major Jodo sect temple and former Tokugawa family temple.
-
D.
Houngans
Houngans are male priests in Haitian Vodou who serve as spiritual leaders, ritual specialists, and intermediaries between humans and the loa (spirits).
-
E.
Dongba priest
A Dongba priest is a traditional Naxi religious specialist who performs rituals, divination, and ceremonies using the pictographic Dongba script and ancient shamanic practices.
- F. None of above. chosen
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.