Reliquary Figures in African Art

Fang, Kota, Bakota, Hongwe, Mahonge of Gabon

The figures do not represent the ancestors themselves; rather, they are the guardians of the bones, placed there to ward off evil which might desecrate the ancestral remains.

It is believed that the bones of the deceased were imbued with the power that the ancestor had during theri lifetime, and it was believed that these powers could be drawn upon to help the living.  Consultation of ancestral relics preceeded all significant events.    The container holding the bones and other magical substances was often surmounted by a carved head or figure (reliquary).  The construction  and shape of the reliquaries took different forms among the different groups, but the function was generally similar.  In modern day these figures are normaly displayed unadorned and cleaned, however traditionally they were often adorned with feathers and collars when not in use.  These reliquaries were also given libations by the living that were seeking help, thus giving it a variation of patinas across the area, encrusted were the Kota reliquaries, and the Fang reliquaries would get a shiny oily hue.  They are regularly quoted (though incorrectly) as bieing symbolic references or portraits of the deceased ancestor; they were infact protectors of the relics, a warning to anyone approaching that sacred materials were within.  Often to protect the relics from prying children who are only introduced to the relics of their ancestors during their initiation ceremonies and rites of passage.

When this area was colonized under the French in the early 1900's, the French officials banned  the reliquaries and the priests that kept them.  This ban was kept inplace for the first decades of the 20th century.

Fang Reliquary Heads

Of the best known reliquary figures was the of the Fang people, referred to as 'Byeri' Heads.  The Fang people inhibit the coastal areas of Gabon and have been there since the mid to late 19th century.  They migrated to this area from the northwest over several centuries and have settled into a broad area from the Sananga River in Cameroon , near Yoaunde, to the Ogave River in central Gabon. 

Until recently, the Fang followed a migratory pattern, and so no ancestral shrines or grave sites were created, instead the relics of ancestors were stored in bark containers called 'asek-bieri' that were transportable and taken from place to place with them.  The container would represent a family's illustrious dead. Skulls represent the most important of the relics, and the number of skulls in a container would be a good judge of the antiquity of the lineage; the more skulls, the older the lineage and the more power it manipulated.  Due to the migratory history of the Fang people, sorting of the stylistic groups have been hampered.

The Southern Fang are known for their carvings of reliquary heads, such as those pictured above.  These had longer necks that were attached to the boxes.  The northern Fang were better known for their full standing reliquary figures.

In addition to ancestral consultations, bieri figures were also used in initiation ceremonies.  These initiation ceremonies included the ingestion of a plant that has stimulant properties that induced a trance state lasting a few hours, while in this trance, a 'resuscitation of the ancestors was done, where the figures were detached and moved around as puppets to represent a 'visitation' of the ancestors.

Kota Reliquary Figures

The Kota also revere the relics of their ancestors, keeping bones and other relics of important ancestors in baskets or bundles which they call Bwete. The reliquary figures that served as protectors of these bundles, are attached to them and are called mbulu-ngulu.  When needed, in times of great danger, the community would bring these mbulu-ngulu and bwete together with the belief that their combined power would offer a greater resistance to whatever they were facing.

Mahongwe Reliquaries

Amete Reliquaries