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Fang Ogooué Bieri Figure
Tribe: Fang
Country: Gabon
Material: Wood.
Size: 18" Tall
Status: Priviate Collection, North Carolina, USA
Figures like these, carved by the Fang tribe were called Bieri (similar to the figures used in the same way), and served as guardians of the enshrined relics of important ancestors. Sitting on top of the containers, they were also consulted for aid and protection.
This particular style is attributed to the Ogooué Betsi group, and belongs to the "Okano Valley" sub-style. The heads were permanently attached to bark reliquary baskets, since their function was above all to guard the family relics with their magical power, protecting them from theft or the sacrilegious curiosity of woman or children.
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