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Reliquary head
Late 19th/early 20th century
Central and East Africa, Gabon: Fang
Wood, brass discs
h. 26.0 cm
UEA 240Along with other tribal groups of Gabon in Central and Eastern Africa, the Fang kept skulls and small bones of ancestors in cylindrical bark boxes or skin-covered baskets looked over by guardian figures. These figures (bieri) might be whole figures, either male or female, or heads alone. The relic containers were housed in small huts built for the purpose, at a little distance from the village, away from prying eyes, and they were tended by a specially appointed elder.
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