MaHongwe Reliquary Figure
Tribe: Hongwe / MaHongwe
Country: Gabon
Material:
Size: 21.25" (54 cm)
Condition: Excellent
Note: This figure is mounted on a gallery style lucite base for immediate display.
Faces of Hongwe reliquary figures are shovel-shaped. The Hongwe reliquary figures consist of three distinct sections, the oval, concave face cut off at the bottom that produces a shovel like form, the cylindrical neck, and the oval openwork base. These reliquary figures belong to the ancestor cult referred to as bwete, and surrmounted bundles or baskets that held relics of extraordinary ancestors.
The Hongwe are one of the many groups that live in close proximity to the northeastern Kota. |
