|
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
TRIBAL AFRICAN ART
Gabon
The Mahongwe constitute
the northern branch of the Kota peoples. They live in the extreme northeast of
Gabon near the Republic of the Congo border. Numbering between 3,000 and 5,000
individuals, they have long remained apart owing to their obstinate resistance to the
penetration of French administration. The Mahongwe practice an ancestor cult (bwiti or
bwete) that was at the center of a system of beliefs and rites and ancestor worship
formed the core of the family group’s religious and social life. Fearful of
the deceased the Mahongwe showed particular devotion to relics of important ancestors of
the lineage, guarantors for the protection and survival of the group. At the death of a
chief, the initiates would take from the body of the deceased various relics, which then
decorated with metal and rubbed with powders of multiple magical powers. These
relics, augmented by some “charms” and other power substances, were kept in
woven rattan baskets upon which were arranged reliquary figures in wood plated with thin
copper or brass strips, plates of wire. It
was believed that the sculls and bones of important men retained their power after death.
Every Mahongwe clan has a reliquary kept in the back of the chief’s hut. These relics
were expected to protect and benefit the families that owned them. At the time of
initiation in the reliquary cult, the clans would meet to perform communal rituals; each
clan’s chief would dance holding the reliquary. Some reliquaries featured a large
figure representing the lineage founder along with some smaller figures representing his
successors. Mahongwe reliquary
figures consist of three distinct sections: the oval, concave face with projecting top
knot, the cylindrical neck, and an openwork base. The mouth is missing. The heads of these
remarkable abstractions are large and do not have upper or side pieces. The base is of
lozenge form. They are considered dangerous to handle because of their role in former
funeral rites, which have not been practiced for over sixty years. Mahongwe masks are
rare.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
