Byeri Fang reliquary ancestor figure, Gabon Several... Lot 107

Byeri Fang reliquary ancestor figure, Gabon Several variants of Fang Byeri statues make up African art. Female figure embodying an ancestor, éyéma-o-byeri , holding an object of power, surmounted by a protruding umbilicus. The voluminous head is heavily eroded: the Fang mixed their therapeutic remedies with grated wood, which they ritually removed from the sculptures. Black oiled patina 50 x 16 cm The peoples known as the Fang, or "Pahouins", described as conquering warriors, invaded the vast region between the Sanaga in Cameroon and the Ogooué in Gabon in successive leaps from village to village, between the 18th and early 20th centuries. At the back of their huts, in a dark and often smoky corner, the heads of the lineages preciously stored their Byéri, the relic chests and sculptures that "watched over" them. Daily life for the Fang had three priorities: perpetuating social identity, subsisting in a hostile natural environment, and conversing with the dead to keep them away from the living. (Louis Perrois)