Fang (Fan, Mpangwe, Pahuin, Pamue, Pangwe), Gabon, Equatorial Guinea and Cameroon

Reliquary ancestor figure (bieri). The territory covered by the Fang ethnic group extends from the region of Yaounde in Cameroon to the Ogooué River in Gabon and includes Equatorial Guinea. The Fang practice the bieri cult, whose aim is to protect themselves from the deceased, to recruit their aid in matters of daily life, and to protect the bones of revered lineage ancestors from malevolent. Bieri are reliquary figures placed by the Fang upon their bark boxes to personify the tribal soul, containing the skulls and skeletons of prominent deceased persons. The assemblage of an ancestral reliquary was essential to the establishment of Fang communities during pre-colonial era. Over time, relics associated with its most important members were continually added around the crania of its founder. The bieri also served for therapeutic rituals and, above all, for initiations of young males during the great so festival.

Material: wood, bark, bones, and rope

Size: H. 30”, W. 9”, D. 8 ½”

Price: $260 + $44 (S&H)                               [#N4F9S177]