Reliquary Figure (Mbula Ngulu) Tribe: Kota
Country: Gabon
Material: Wood, Metal
Size: 24"
Historically,
the Kota left their dead unburied in the forest, far from the village.
Under influence of neighboring tribes, they then began to bury their
dead. Chiefs were always buried, but often their bones (especially the
scull) were later exhumed and placed with magical objects (shells,
seeds, fruits) in a bark box or a basket called a bwete,
in which a carved figure, like the one pictured here, was inserted.
These acted as intermediaries between the living and the ancestors, and
were the focus of offerings and prayers aimed at bringing good fortune
to the clan. |
