12e zitting Tribale kunst (Afrika): 5350-5455 - Tribale kunst (Afrika)
Gabon, a rare Fang reliquary container with a carved wooden head sculpture, late 19th century - early 20th century;
A tree bark cylinder with a wooden circular base and lid, surmounted by a carved wooden head sculpture.
Reliquary containers ("nsekh byeri") are usually crowned by figures ("eyema byeri"), more rarely by anthropomorphic heads. In Perroi's opinion they are even a local phenomenon that only occurred in the southern Fang Betsi area between the Ogooué and the Crystal Mountains.
Like the skull fragments and relics found in the bark containers, the heads
were periodically rubbed with palm oil, sacrificial blood or "ba" powder. This was to establish contact with the ancestors and to obtain help and protection from them. Unlike the "byeri" figures which were displayed occasionally, these heads remained in the hut of a chief of lineage.
According to Fang religious belief, "mbere", the supreme divinity, created the first man, "nzame", who became the primordial ancestor of all Fang peoples. "Nzame" was the first sculptor and established the "byeri" cult, which worshipped relics of significant ancestors within a specific family lineage, wherein the descendants would receive protection and aid in exchange for offerings and prayers. The officiator of these cult, "esa", was an old man, closer to death and therefore nearer to the ancestors.
Provenance: Merton D. Simpson, New York, USA, 1986. AHDRC: 0045796.
Lit. von Lintig, Bettina, African Impressions, Milan, 2011, p. 153.
Schweizer, Heinrich, Visions of Grace, 100 Masterpieces from the Collection of Daniel and Marian Malcolm, Milan, 2014, p. 140.
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